Comments for the week of January 16, 2005

Ramblings for Saturday-
An act of God (i.e. snowstorm) cost me the opportunity on Friday to meet both Janet Parshall and Michael Medved. Oh, the injustice!
I've created a new 'What is Faithmouse' page-Dan

Ramblings for Friday-
I'd like to thank emailer Chuck (and others) for effectively talking me out of most every change I've been making to the site during the past few days. All the galleries and files will be back in place later tonight. So, I'll buy more bandwidth....okay.
A revision of today's toon is in the works.

Today's AP Story - Midwive's Deaths Affects Indonesia's Newborns helps explain the 'Lamaze' cartoon of a few days ago. -Dan

Ramblings for Wednesdays-
Chris and I saw The Polar Express last night in Imax 3D. 3D or no, it's a superb film. -Dan

Ramblings for Tuesday-
A complimentary posting of a cartoon from the current series can be found at Linus from Singapore's Cucumblogs. Nice dragonfish pic!

Most of the 'set-up' panels are now complete for the current series, although I'm still planning to make changes to a few of the previously presented toons. Today's cartoon is a rework of yesterday's cartoon, which was only uploaded to Men's News Daily (I was in a flying rush.) The cartoon of the 15th has been revised as well. There's a companion cartoon which closely follows the U.S. Mercy toon, which by the way is still underway from San Diego to the Indian Ocean-a thirty day voyage (the hospital ship, not the cartoon). This week we should trod more firmly into the story lline. -Dan

Complete 'tsunami' series to this point...

Mailbag

'One of the most unusual and most delightful web sites around, Faithmouse.com is sure to become one of your favorites. There you'll meet a creative conservative Christian artist who has mixed the best of Bill Buckley and Bugs Bunny to come up with a great new hero whose comments on contemporary culture are of great value.' -Denny Hartford, Vital Signs Ministries

I am the chaplain of the (withheld) military Police Brigade (in a large Iraqi city.) Every day I brief my Colonel and our staff on activites involving religious support to our soldiers. I was wondering if I might use a few of your military Faithmouse cartoons to catch their attention. As they say, "A picture is worth a thousand words" and I think that Faithmouse says a lot. Thanks for the support. Blessings, (name withheld)

You are on my blogroll...one of the few and the proud. If you want to add mine, feel free, if not, no big deal, I think your stuff is genius. The blogsphere could be the next great evangelistic tool as well as the greatest grassroots form of Christian activism since Luther. Thanks again and keep up the good work. God Bless, webmaster Fredof 1754blog

Hi, Dan I hope that you have enjoyed (your holidays) with family and friends. I was checking out the comments on your cartoons and, boy these Liberals are certainly a tolerant lot, aren't they. (Tongue in cheek) Whenever some one tells me Jesus was a Liberal, I tell them, oh no, Jesus did not tell me to take Dan Lacey's money and help the poor, He told me to take my own money and help the poor. Felt I had to throw my two-cent's worth on that subject. In any event, Thanks a lot, I have reccommended your 'toons to many people.... emailer Joseph

Thanks for a thoughtful website. You are unique. -emailer Cindy

Thank you for making such an inspirational, Christian editorial cartoon. As an amateur cartoonist, I simply adore your political cartoons. You have such a cute style of artwork! :)

God bless you, and I'm looking forward for more, so you better notquit, no matter what happens! ~Fan of Faithmouse

Hello, I've been honestly enjoying the comic the last couple of days (came to it in a roundabout way from Portal of Evil), and I think it's some kind of surrealist genius, even though I don't necessarily agree with all (or any) of the conclusions you reach. -Evan

A new link we've added to the sidebar is Faithmouse.com... We checked out this site and strongly recommend it for anyone reading Our Word. They are saying things about our culture that need to be said, and doing it in a way that is very accessible to people. When you've looked at the cartoons, read some of the comments sent in by people*. If it's true that you can often judge a man by his enemies, then I think Dan's "enemies" prove that he's doing the Lord's work. Some of the comments will make you mad, but let that righteous indignation turn to prayer for these people, some of whom have a great hatred of God and Jesus, that they will turn their energy and their souls over to Him, Who can do all things. -Judith and Mitchell Hadley Our Word and Welcome To it. (*negative commentary removed.)

Just stumbled onto your web site and wanted to express my appreciation for your art and your brave and correct stand on the issues. Keep up the good work - I've included your site as part of my "Favorites" directory. - Al

I discovered Faithmouse on comic sherpa. Of course, that led me to your site. Great comic and a great site. I have a special appreciation for Christian cartoons, but yours stands out. Not only is the artwork superior, but the writing is sharp as well. The concept of the comic as an ongoing editorial cartoon is unique. Your messages are clear and direct without being overly "preachy". There is also an edge to the work that I find very appealing. Many Christian cartoonists go for the mild and meek approach, which dilutes the quality of the overall work and message. Keep up the great job. -David

I've been reading Faithmouse for a while. I am a Christian, yet I do struggle. I'm also a United States Marine. I have to thank you for your support of our president and for the support you have for my brothers in Fallujah. I also thank you for your pro-life stance -- abortion is the greatest evil in America today. -name withheld on request

While I do not agree with virtually any of your opinions, you have a right to voice them just as much as the liberals do. Both sides trying to eliminate each other's opinions is a hypocrisy. That said, I do enjoy your artwork, and I can say that your artwork is very well done, in both the right and left wings - Tarik

I'm a huge fan of your work, and a daily visitor to your site.... Thanks for your great cartoon. I look forward to it every day. God bless you and yours over this holiday season. - Clifton

I found your artwork and site through a link on NewsMax. What a great cartoon and message. As a member of the Army, I would like to thank you for both your stand as a Christian and your support of the Military. I go to work every day defending the rights of others and their right to freedom of speech. It is a pleasure to know that there are those like yourself that are taking a stand and expressing the same views and beliefs that I hold dear. I go to work every day to preserve the right of OUR beliefs to be heard and made public as well. ...It is so representative of the fact that those of us in uniform can be Christians, maintain our faith, encourage each other and be Warriors at the same time. There is no conflict, but one aspect brings peace while performing our duties in the other.
Thank you for what you do and taking a stand. Your site is now my start page and I look forward to your future art. Respectfully-name withheld, United States Army

Thank you for making such a funny comic, you really have a great talent! God gave you the ability to draw, and it's great to see you are using the talent for the best. -Robert Phillips

May the Lord our GOD bless you and your faithful muse this morning. You might remember that I have made y'all the homepage for the Finance Office. What joy you bring to our world of numbers! -Wanda, Finance officer, Baptist Church

I LOVE your cartoons!! Thank you. - Dawn

Thank you for making such wonderful comics! Never stop. :) -"Shmorky

Even at my age (a lot), I look forward to the comics after reading the front of the newspaper. So many of the so-called "popular" strips have become nothing but mouthpieces for liberal causes and others hostile to our values. "Doonesbury" stopped being funny years ago when Trudeau started taking himself so seriously. On the other hand, we have rags like the L.A. Times refusing to run Johnny Hart's "BC" when there is a Christian theme displayed. I'm looking forward to the gentle, uplifting message of "Faithmouse" appearing in one of our Newspapers. Thank you for your efforts. Yours in Christ, Joseph

Your sense of humor and artistry is a talent for God's ministry. I've always been searching for some light Christian humor for some friends who cannot see things optimistically. Now I found it. -Christina

Hello again, Dan... Been a brief while since I wrote -- there's a whole lot of activity in this world of ours lately. The pictures from Fallujah, the death of Pat Tillman, the al-Qaida bombings in Madrid, the continuing chaos in Afghanistan (largely dwarfed by the war in Iraq), the pictures from Abu Ghraib, the footage of Nick Berg's execution, the betrayal of state secrets by Mr. Chalabi, the apparent sanctioning of prisoner torture by our own leaders... this insanity seems to go on and on and on without a pit stop, doesn't it? And it required the death of Ronald Reagan to take our minds off of all that. Up front: The main reason I'm writing again concerns the 6-6-04 entry of faithmouse in ComicsSherpa. So far, it's the best memorial to Reagan I've seen. There's a whole lot of utter nonsense emanating from both Reagan's harshest detractors and his doe-eyed fans these days, and your modest entry transcends all of that. Good -- I'm glad I saw it. - email from JY (6/10/04)

Best of luck to you with your excellent work. Sincerely, David Limbaugh (author
of Persecution)

Hi Dan, I read Faithmouse everyday. I thought it was about time I emailed you. I really like Faithmouse; keep up the good work. I believe that the Lord wouldn't necessarily have us look at our own political party through rose-colored glasses, but see it for both the good and the bad. I read both conservative and liberal editorial cartoons daily. I'm a conservative, but I must say I sometimes like hearing things from a fresh point of view because it may have been something
I overlooked. I guess it's just my personality not to be so loyal to someone that I defend them even when I think they're wrong. -Joseph Ward of AmongWolves

Thanks for your encouraging email, especially the part about keeping on when nobody seems to care. I've wondered many times over the past few years if anyone really cares about what I'm doing, but just when it seems that it's all a waste of time I get an email from someone who has been blessed by the Sheep Comics. I never wanted the Sheep Comics to be political, at least in the sense of "right"versus "left". However, the Doonesbury strip to me went beyond politics and into raw bigotry, so I felt compelled to respond.Thanks again for the encouragement. God Bless, Web Shepherd of Sheep Comics

Comments for the week of January 9, 2005

Ramblings for Sunday-
I'll relocate these comments to the blog this evening. It's our regular vowel movement, a habit of this site which constitutes our Sunday blogging constitutional.

Welcome to the right-on-the-mark and north-of-the-border Black Kettle and also to Mary's Hope4America Yahoo group, the latter to which I'm an infrequent contributor but daily peruser.

Ramblings for Saturday-
Welcome to our new link partner, the very enjoyable Among Wolves cartoon by Joseph Ward. Joe is another old Comic Sherpa comrade. After you've looked at Joe's site please check out Charles (Top Secret) Stouff's new Carneez toon. Best of luck on the new direction, Charles!


A faithmouse cartoon is included in a new Ratherbiased cartoon collection.

Ramblings for Thursday-
In response to a quote attributed to John Adams posted on a theophobe site and meant as evidence of Adams' anti-Christian sentiment, and also in honor our Prez's upcoming second Inauguration, I present this page in defense of the true beliefs of our second President.

Welcome to three new affiliates today - WhitleyWorld (libertarian) Missouri Conservative and ChristianTeen Network.

Ramblings for Tuesday-
Faithmouse has been stretched for bandwidth recently due to intense interest, a problem I imagine most cartoonists wouldn't mind having. I've pulled the 'past month' archive located on this site but left the Typepad site (a great gift from Stacy Harp...thanks Stacy!) as it doesn't require bandwidth from faithmouse.
So, if you copy any of the images from the Typepad site and post them using your own bandwidth, please remember to also post a return link to faithmouse, which is the only payment I ask for showing my work online. I've also removed a few of the galleries, perhaps only temporarily, just to see what the effect on my numbers are. I've also noticed that the old Comics Sherpa archive has fallen off the edge of the world- I'll try to find time to repost many of these older toons on the Typepad site as well. Also please note that hundreds of the older traditional format cartoons (the 'b' series) which I had collected into sets last year and was giving away for print reproduction have been pulled and are gone forever. Sorry, but I needed more lift in my balloon.

At the moment I'm working on four cartoons at once, which is why the site has seemed somewhat bottlenecked for new work. A few new emails have been added below; I've color coded them blue for quick perusal-Dan

Ramblings for Monday-
A hearty welcome to our new and refreshing Tall Glass of Milk.

Today's toon is the most recent in the current tsunami series. I'll dedicate a separate page to the series later this evening. -tsunami series

Our new 'puffing' (my, aren't we wonderful) quote is courtesy of Digital Chirper, who maintains Moe Lauzier's Issues of the Day (check out The Metaphorical Wall by Judge E. F. Harrington while you're there as well, a great primer on the modern fool's gold issue of 'the separation of Church and State'.) Now and then Digi posts a faithmouse cartoon on Mel's site. Thanks, Digi! Positive affirmations are highly appreciated.


I'd also like to thank emailer Mike T. for his observation that the earth would actually feel smoother than a croquet ball in one's hand, rather than 'just as smooth.' I'll change the wording on that toon...

The current series will not only go on for a while-it also denotes a change of direction for the cartoon. Up until now faithmouse has largely been composed of individual cartoons commenting on separate issues, punctuated with the occasion short series and the rarer longer series (the latter many a time left unfinished.) As a New Year's resolution I've decided to dedicate the cartoon to one continuous storyline. This tact will allow me to express more complex ideas over a longer time period. It will also accentuate the relationships between the characters. This last point is the most important, as character interaction is the engine which drives good fiction. -Dan

Tsunami email

Ramblings for Monday-
Here's a recent email from a fan regarding the current series-

Dear Kim,
Thanks for the thoughtful response. I won't go into responding to your points. I think you should just wait to see how the series pans out.

You're very welcome, and thank you for your own. :) I do intend to check back with the series as time goes by, and I'm sorry if my assumptions have been very off-base.

One of the reasons I believe I've been able to develop and improve the cartoon is that I consider the viewpoint of those who have strong criticisms of it. I think that my cartoon covers a lot of unexplored territory, and I try now and then to take some risks. I appreciate your interest in my work, even though (allow me to make the assumption here) you have a very different viewpoint than mine both theologically and politically.

Not so much as I would have been a year ago, actually, but still quite different. Though just to quickly mention here, while it's sort of off-topic, I do appreciate a lot of your Gay Bear series. I've had at least three gay Christian friends over the years, and by mentioning their struggles you're discussing something that's often overlooked or covered in fire and brimstone. The "gay marriage as red herring" comic is a particular favorite of mine, as whether or not anyone believes gay marriage to be immoral there's far more to be solved about American marriage than who does or doesn't get to participate. But I digress, and I don't want this to turn into a debate of values either - I'm glad to agree to disagree. :)

I try to keep the idea as I'm exploring it fluid and open to interpretation, not only for the audience but also for myself. That's because I realize instinctively that ideology can kill an artistic impulse, even though I may very much agree with a certain viewpoint and wish to communicate that to the audience. That's the reason a number of my 'message' cartoons, about subjects I really believe in, haven't made very compelling cartoons. So, your observations are very intriguing and, because I work off of subjects which intrigue mewherever I may find them, I believe your feelings will influence the series.

I've noticed your regard for dissenters, to the point that you freely post their comments, and it's part of what made me more eager to email you and see your response. I appreciate your ability to acknowledge criticism, and especially the fact that you might actually let them influence your work on some level. Thank you.

I'm not trying to avoid your questions, but that's why I balk at 'debating' the political and theological points of the cartoon, especially while I'm still developing the idea. I'm more than able to defend my muse, but I don't want to drain all the interest out of a particular series before I finish it. I already have a few series I feel pretty guilty about not finishing, because I've already finished them in my head. So, all I can say again is that you've made some very good points.Everything is put back a few days because my crash (you missed a great opportunity to make the joke 'Jesus saves, why didn't you?') so I probably won't pick up the series until Sunday or Monday. However, I am making a few changes to yesterday's (which is again today's) cartoon. Something you may wish to keep in mind is that Ms. Starmole is a fake. She doesn't really believe in anything. I'll try to make a better point of that in the cartoon.

I think if you watch the series, you'll see it become pretty dark, and then light again.

I know this doesn't answer many of your questions, but I hope it's an improvement upon my frantic and exhausted response of this morning.

God bless!
Dan

As something of an amateur writer and poet, I can totally understand the draining of the muse as well as its evolving nature. So I'll end my emails here until the series is done. :) Thank you very much for all your comments and insights into your work, and I look forward to seeing how it pans out.

God bless and Happy New Year!
Kim

Comments from the week of Dec 26, 2004

Ramblings for Friday-
At five A.M. my wife heard me yelling 'No, no, no!' and assumed I was talking to the cat. Actually, I was speaking to the mouse. Jesus saves, but Dan did not. Today's cartoon therefore is a redo of yesterday's cartoon. It's a much better version, trust me.

Ramblings for Tuesday-
Today's cartoon is the third try at the Religious Liberties' amendment cartoon. I've deleted the previous versions and substituted today's toon for those already hot linked on various sites. The faithmouse cartoon has a new friend at ConservativePosts and a future friend at Idiotopia. A new cartoon will still be posted for later today, although I haven't decided if it should be about lower suicide rates among the religious or tsunamis.

Ramblings for Monday-
A new cartoon is on it's way for this morning. I'd like to thank Mitchell and Judith Hadley of the Twin Cities, who posted a very nice 'thumbs up' for the cartoon on their Our Word and Welcome To It blog. Lime is a bright and positive new link courtesy of Pastor Anne in Norway.
The unfailingly loyal Stacy at e-involved has blessed the site with the present of a typepad blog, which I'm incorporating as a new and improved method of displaying recent archived cartoons.

Comments from the week of Dec 19, 2004

Ramblings for Wednesday-
Today's cartoon is a portion of a much larger piece I've been developing on and off for the past few years which I call 'The Shepherd of the Snows.' I've begun the process of scanning the drawing -it's so large it needs to be scanned in 10 segments, and I have a legal size scanbed, which says something about how carried away I got. I'll present the rest of the drawing in the weeks to come.

As an appendix to yesterday's cartoon; on Tuesday Chris and I were fortunate enough to meet the great, great, great, great (not sure about the number of greats) grandson of Charles Dickens, who performed an excellent one-man enactment of 'A Christmas Carol' at the St. Paul Hotel in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Following the show, Mr. Dickens was kind enough to sign my copy of his great great great (you get the idea) Grandfather's book 'The Life of Our Lord' with the following inscription-'To Dan & his faithmouse, Gerald Charles Dickens.' Not only that, but he drew a pretty nifty mouse as well.
A new character ducked his head into yesterday's cartoon; his name is Ferret Nietzsche.

Ramblings for Monday-
A great presentation of the operations in Fallujah from Techniguy's site. You'll need powerpoint and patience (large download) but very informative. I learned about this by way of the Hope4America Yahoo group I belong to. Hi, Mary!

Ramblings for Sunday-
Previous posts from the past week have been relocated as has been our recent vice to the blog.
I'm happy to retort that Men's News Daily has returned to form after a two day hijacking by Brazilian anti-war hooligans or vandals posing as such.

One of my recent cartoons is posted on this eloquent and thoughtful thread.

I write the Reverend Jackson

Dear Rainbow/Push Coalition,
Regarding the Reverend Jackson's recent comments-
"In the last budget, we cut housing again, and that was Jesus' dilemma. In Bethlehem, his family ended up homeless," Jackson told MSNBC's Campbell Brown. "Rome was a wealthy country that left Jesus and Mary and Joseph, in a sense, homeless," he complained. "He was born an at-risk baby."
No baby was born more 'at risk' than Christ, but His state wasn't due to a lack of governmental assistance. It was because man's sinful nature necessitated atonement.
Also, Jesus wasn't homeless, either 'in a sense' or 'not in a sense.' His parents couldn't find a hotel room. The holy family was on the road because of a census forced upon them for the purpose of tax collection.
I'm sure the Reverend will be supporting the coming overhaul of the tax system to spare current families similar unwanted burdens.

Merry Christmas!
Dan Lacey
New Market Township, Minnesota

Comments from the week of Dec 12 2004

Ramblings for Saturday-
I'd like to thank Janet Parshall
for including one of my recent cartoons in her current newsletter. Later tonight I should have the image posted in our Cafepress store (thanks also for the plug!) Stacy at E-involved is the culprit behind all of this....

Ramblings for Friday-
Men's News Daily has been hacked by Brazilian anarchists and is still on it's haunches. A few visits from friendlies once they return to form would be much appreciated by webmaster Mike. -Dan

Ramblings for Wednesday-
I'll be posting photographs of recent portraits later this evening (really truly) along with a cartoon I've drawn for Stacy Harp at e-involved. I've also moved the cartoons below this dialogue box to the 'past month' page (actually the past two months page) to save a little loading time. Those of you dialing in with a 28k modem probably won't mind a few less toons-Dan

Ramblings for Tuesday-
Today's cartoon is the first in a lengthy series addressing anti-Christian bigotry and repression in our public school system, which has become the dominant theme this holiday season. If you don't care for civil rights oriented Christmas cartoons, you may wish to return in a few weeks.

More Ramblings for Monday-
The assault against religious freedom continues this holiday season with even more cases of public schools pronouncing as illegal any form of Christian free expression. Most if not all of these cases (which have increased dramatically since the President's re-election last month) will be won by parents (as has been the history) but only after prolonged and expensive legal defenses waged by willing citizens. These battles fought over the rights of children to dress up in Christmas plays as angels, or to perform instrumental
music for their peers and parents, is forming a deep and wide foundation of support for a future 'Religious Freedom' amendment to the United States Constitution, which, written correctly, may
enjoy the broad based nonpartisan support which promoters of theTraditional Marriage Amendment found so elusive. Democrats would be wise to hop aboard this train, as it leads directly into the soul of the Middle American vote. Remember, you heard it here first, folks. Well, maybe not first.


Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol' - banned by Lake Washington High School in Kirkland, Washington.

Ramblings for Monday Dec 13-
Today's cartoon is a revision of yesterday's toon. Things change quickly around here. The design is a take off on Mel Brook's High
Anxiety, which was itself a homage to Alfred Hitchcock. Mel Brooks, one of my heroes. I forgive him for the Spanish Inquisition bit in History of The World, Part II. Mel served as a Corporal in the Army during World War II, and while in France he and his comrades accidentally severed communications for the ninth army when they discovered a hidden German arms cache and used the white insulation caps on nearby telephones poles for target practice. Mel once said that the best way to deal with a bully was to make fun of him. Of course, the very best thing to do is to forgive him...right after you're done making fun. Second to beer, humor is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.

Ramblings for Sunday Dec 12-
I'm painting, painting, painting.......

Of Christ and Hitler Redux

For those still propagating the falsehood that Hitler was a Christian, and Nazism some insidious extension of the Christian faith-

The Confession of Faith of the Reichsarbeitsführer-
"Once your heart is branded with the swastika,
You hate any other cross!
If you identify yourself with your nation,
You laugh at redeemer cranks.
Beware anyone one who demands:
'Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself'
What the Nazarine demands is our demise..."

A song of the 'Reichsjugendführer
"Before thee, my Fuehrer
though thousands may stand before thee,
each feels thy eye on himself alone
and thinks, his own hour has come,
when thou sees the depths of his soul.
In those few minutes in thy presence,
we would open every door to thee,
all thoughts we lift to thee, that thou correct and improve.
So good art thou and so great; so strong and infinitely pure
To thee we reveal without deceit our hearts’ innocence.
None depart from thee with empty hands,
if thine eyes have touched him with their steely gaze.
We know that thou proclaimeth constantly:
I am with you and you belong to me!"

Another widely used song of the Reichsjugendführer:
"How often we heard the sound of thy voice
and listened silently, folding our hands,
as every word pierced the depth of our souls.
We know it, one day the end will come,
and free us from force and from need.
What is a year when the era shall turn?!
Where is a law that will stifle our faith,
the pure faith you have bestowed,
that beats as our hearts and guides our existence.
My Fuhrer, thou alone art the way and the goal!

The official song of the Hitlerjugend (Youth of Hitler) at the Reichsparteitag 1934:
"We are Hitlers joyous youth,
What need we Christian virtue!,
Our Fuehrer Adolf Hitler is always our redeemer!
No wicked priest can hinder us,
To sense that we are Hitlers children;
We follow not Christ but Horst Wessel,
Away with incense and holy water!"

Instructions for the central memorial ceremony at the Munich Field Marshal Hall:
"National Socialist Worship
On these steps to the Hall of the Field Marshals,
to which we make pilgrimage, once stood a sacrament of battle,
In this, its only cathedral, Germany,
may stand only those who carve their motivation deep into their deeds.
You are pilgrims, if you honor the glory of your nation
above the revelations of any religion.
You sense the holiness of the Hall of Field Marshals.
What value have prayers and hymns,
The swinging of incense bowls
in comparison with the muffled rhythm of our drums
when our Fuehrer ascends the steps?
The sighs of the watchers extinguish the earth,
still trembling under our approach.
Gray clamour huddles at the end of the world.
The Fuehrer arises! He raises his hand to eternal salute.
His heart beats the heartbeat of his people
His step is our prayer ...
He arises and stands shrouded in miracles?
He burns with the faith of his comrades.
No priestly ordination has more power than the silent, stonelike prayer of the man
in whose being the nation is moved
The vow we make here is our prayer to the creator!
May our banner wave! Let it be hoisted, for it is our German high altar!
The standard bearers rejoice:
What is death, when you command us to live, O Germany!

From National Socialism as Religion, Global Journal of Classical Theology, Trinity College of the Bible and Theological Seminary

Comments from the week of November 28, 2004

Ramblings for Friday-
Today's cartoon promotes spiritual love for Christ, which easily trumps the carnal. Radical lifestyle oriented activism places the actual person second to their stated sexual preference; there is no respect in a militant universe for the homosexual who consciously turns his back upon what he perceives to be his own nature and follows a calling which supersedes the temporal. This intolerant posture allows the monsterous Fraud Fits' (and his Boptist Church of Bunnies) of today to operate with 'seeming' moral approval. Most homosexuals dedicated to the church are there because God calls them to a lifestyle of selflessness and sacrifice - this cartoon is for them.

Ramblings for Thursday-
A preview of Friday's new Gaybear cartoon (I know, promised two weeks ago..) is posted.

I just realized one can stretch an empty table in order to fill a vacuum rather than just typing a bracketed P over and over again. I'm a genius!

Greetings to our many visitors from Polipundit.I've traded a few emails over the past year or so with Vincent Newstead at Religion Related Injuries, a respectful although adamant critic of this cartoon and far more so of the philosophy behind it. Today's cartoon springs from a recent e-conversation. American history is a fine musical instrument and it's maestros are our saints. Looking at the cartoon again this morning I wish I had added rich wood grain to the column instead of red and blue, so, I'll put it on the block for a rework. I'll mosey around to it sometime over the weekend.

Ramblings for Wednesday-
A hearty welcome to visitors discovering faithmouse courtesy of Men's News Daily. Today's cartoon references the controversy concerning the fifth grade teacher at Stevens Creek Elementary School in Cupertino, California who's been forbidden to teach to students not only from the Declaration of Independence but from documents such as George Washington's journal, John Adams' diary, Samuel Adams "The Rights of the Colonists" (great beer, by the way) and William Penn's "The Frame of Government of Pennsylvania." My observation is this-how can some reconcile the competing arguments that (a) America does not have a Judeo-Christian foundation, against (b) our founding documents need to be suppressed because of their Judeo-Christian foundation? Reuters News story -Declaration of Independence Banned at Calif School

A few posts old and new have been added to the emails I've been displaying for the past few weeks. The list has grown a bit long, so I'll be relocating the lot of them to the blog soon. Timothy has changed this week, and now Faithmouse herself will be 'macro-evolving'; a bit of this transformation can be cleaved from today's toon.

Ramblings for Monday-
The Reverend Martin Luther King cartoon is completed and posted as today's cartoon. This is in response to the continuation of racist attacks in the form of cartoons and commentaries which have greeted black politicians over the course of the past decade. History is slowly forgetting that the man who's name is synonymous with the Civil Rights movement found his strength through Christ. 'Reverend', his earned title, is rarely associated with his memory. We remember Gandhi as a Hindu, but not Martin Luther King as a minister. This cartoon was my answer to the dearth of responses in my medium to the rash of attacks upon a very capable civil servant.

Ramblings for Saturday-
Timothy A. Bear (teddy bear) appears in today's toon in his true colors; a ragtag assortment of secondhand textile patterns. Wishy-washy Christian that he is, he still has trouble believing the obvious, that he was made by a creator, and he is his handiwork. Faithmouse topped 200 affiliates with the Spare Change link added yesterday, with roughly half hosting the actual updating cartoon. Thanks guys!

Godspeed, Christpilot

Faithmouse is blessed to have a fan in Christpilot, who flies large sky vehicles with mounted weaponry for the United States Army (nuff said). Whether or not you believe that defending our friends from enemies does or doesn't violate Matthew 5:39 is beside the point: I'm glad he's there and doing his best to honor Matthew 7:4.
Christpilot returns to Iraq next month and promises to send photos of the countryside. These photos are sure to make their way into the backgrounds of future cartoons, and subsequently a home in our Pro-Military gallery.

Ramblings for Wednesday, Nov 24

I spend a lot of time researching stories on the internet (in other words, just poking around), staying abreast on the news and starting and abandoning cartoons I have the good sense never to post on the cartoon web site. I'm amazed by both the richness of the material to be had and the fact that so few cartoonists cover the same ground I'm happy to tread. If faith-the purpose and motivation of most of human life-is mentioned at all, you can bet hands down it will be in a disparaging if not outright bigoted manner. This is why the cartoon site grows steadily in popularity and support. It's not outrageous for a cartoon to be centered around faith in God, in fact, faithmouse occupies the great American middle ground. However, I'm resigned to have the cartoon categorized by some as a sort of crazed though obscure icon of the vast right wing conspiracy, seeing that the word of mouth of my outrageousness (huh?) contributes to raised page rankings and helps to bring new fans to the site. As a cartoon still searching for print distribution, faithmouse can use all the friends it can get.

Ramblings for Tuesday, Nov 23

The unfinished 'email' cartoon from last week has been posted as today's toon. Mentioned are two good friends of faithmouse-Stacy Harp of E-Involved, and Joshua O of Hello Infidels. If they serve you lemons....

Maximilian Kolbe, blogsaint

Greatly in arrears am I in postings for this blog, therefore I request Saint Maximilian Kolbe to be protector of this cyber realm during any extended future absence. I don't believe he'll mind the job; after all, Maximilian was sent to Auschwitz as a result of both his media savy and extreme political incorrectness.



I trust former prisoner 16670 will perform his duties admirably.

Judge StarMole wins one for George Bush

Although I shall always wear the shame of miscalculating Minnesota for Bush2004 (alongside the good company of Powerline and Karl Rove) I'm willing to put forth the premise that, without the help of of Judge StarMole, John Kerry would currently be President elect.
On February 4th of this year, Chief Justice Margaret H. Marshall and three other judges of the state's Supreme Judicial Court put forth an earthshaking ruling which contained this statement-

"For no rational reason the marriage laws of the Commonwealth discriminate against a defined class; no amount of tinkering with language will eradicate that stain."

Last spring, our fearful Minnesota liberal Borg prevented a definition of Marriage amendment from going before the voters. Democratic lawmakers knew that such an amendment would act like a magnet to draw Christian voters regardless of party affiliation to the polls. If their efforts to limit free speech had been unsuccessful, Minnesota might today be the 12th state to resounding add an amendment to it's State constitution defining marriage as being between one man and one woman.
Without the issue of Gay marriage, George Bush might not have been able to solidify and expand upon his base. The wreath of morality might have been more easily worn by John Kerry, preaching a deceptive message of anti-war against the enemies of our own nation and a war against poverty and the creators of wealth here in our own.

Curt shilling

Yes, it's true. After years of selfless altruism the faithmouse site will soon be engaged in curt shilling; I may even post a link to the new haberdashery on this blog as well. The first faithmouse book (an anthology of 2004 cartoons) is also in the works. I've even discovered that this blog is newly listed as a share on a fantasy blogsharing site. The current value of the share is $0, but, if my financial instincts prove correct the price is likely to double before year's end. My advice-get in on the ground floor now, a task best accomplished through a window.
What has doubled over the course of the past two months are visitors to the cartoon site. This is delightful news, however, jpeg and gifs images are far more expensive to display in mass quantities than piddling buckets of text, therefore because I fancy myself clever I am inventing a way to pay for the ever increasing bandwidth. Hence, a store. My product comes highly recommended by me; it's clean and positive, it fights a good fight in a way I hope is entertaining to those outside of it's base demographic (which is anything but base.)

Nadir of Minnesota

Ten thousand reflections of the North Star comprise the nadir of Minnesota, land of Lutefisk and Hot Dish, where come this Tuesday Ralph Nader may chip in George Bush's short put and propel him into the back nine.
Many are the reasons the President has matched par with Mr. Kerry here in the former bastion of Lutheranism, a state currently welcoming an influx of newly plaid attired Somali and Hmong refugees.
They are-
A Republican governor who has tamed a 5 billion deficit without raising taxes, mainly through government attrition.
A refusal this spring by Democratic lawmakers to allow a traditional marriage amendment on this month's ballot, which has infuriated rural voters in conservative and still very Lutheran Democratic districts.
The recent trashing by a State Judge of a popular conceal and carry gun amendment.
Burgeoning suburbs full of new homeowners.
Growth of the evangelical voting block, many living in those new homes yet unpaid for.
A poorly advised recent Kerry commercial extolling the virtues of stem cell research, a subject which has solicited the attention of evangelical suburb families living next door to Dem farmers still hopping mad about being denied a vote on a State marriage amendment.
Lastly, besides the no nonsense Minnesotan attitude on National Security, there is the impossible-to-argue-with Minnesotan resolve to stand on principle. This time around the wreath of principle falls upon the head of the Independent, hithero shut out of the debates and largely of the discussion, still well known and respected throughout the state and dodged by hysterical Democrats trying to upset his canoe wherever he tries to launch it.
The Democrats haven't played fair with public servant Ralph, a fact exacerbated by the fact that their candidate of one of rare privilege. After the still mourned Paul Wellstone and the scandal of a wake turned pep rally, voters passed over a condescending Walter Mondale and voted in Norm from New York, who by proxy had earned the vote through sheer hard work. George works hard too, and so has Ralph. John has inherited a billion dollars. He'll inherit the Loon State's hard line liberal voting base and no one else. Here in the critical second tier, we have nothing if not elses.
Republicans helped elect that giant fake action doll Jesse Ventura last time around, who realized his second fifteen minutes of fame were up when the post September 11th budget limped in. We won't help prop up the Independent this time around, but the Independents and some Democrats will, which may be enough to upset the national golf cart once again.

Of Christ and Hitler

I've received a few hearty emails in response to a post yesterday on the faithmouse cartoon site, which was itself a response to an earlier email. Here is the post in question,which begins with an email received a few days ago-



George Bush is not a Christian...
or if he is, he is still propagating evil.
You have been fooled, my friend,
You have been distracted by the "liberal vs conservative" sham...
Best regards..(moniker withheld)
PS -I read Lew Rockwell every day!
http://www.lewrockwell.com
"The premier anti-state, anti-war and pro-market site on the net!"

Thanks for the email.
When I was a young atheist attending school in Southern California one of my favorite writers was Kurt Vonnegut, who I read up until about Slapstick. I believe it was in Cat's Cradle that Vonnegut made the comparison between war and icebergs, stating correctly that they were just as hard to stop. Vonnegut, a survivor of the Dresden fire bombing, had his heart in the right place. I'm sure Mr. Rockwell, Lord Chamberlain and all other vociferously anti-war politicians harbor the same dread of war and love of peace shared by the common man. The history of war in the twentieth century is of atheistic monsters such as Hitler, Stalin and Mao who slaughtered tens of millions, their harvest hedged only by the forces of Christianity and capitalism. Saddam Hussein despite shows of Islamic piety had no deity save himself and can be included in this sorry camaraderie. Click here for an article detailing how Saddam viewed himself as the new Nebuchadnezzar. Wherever people are held in bondage you will inevitably find that a Castro or Kim Chong-il is holding the keys. It is only the blood of true empathy which can free them.

'The limit imposed upon evil is ultimately divine mercy' -from Memory and Identity by Pope John Paul II.


My emailer reminded me that there are many sincere candidates in the Presidential race who receive as much attention from the the major media as does my cartoon. Therefore I'll include as many of them as I can in a nice cartoon in a day or two, and all under a protective blessing from Reverend Rhino. -Dan

As you can read from the post, I never said Hitler was an atheist. I said he was atheistic and there is a difference. Anti-Christian bigots work overtime to relate Hitler with Pat Robertson, but history isn't with them. Consider these articles of requirement from Hitler's National Reich Church-

1. The National Reich Church of Germany categorically claims the exclusive right and the exclusive power to control all churches . . .
13. The National Church demands the immediate cessation of the publishing and dissemination of the Bible
14. The National Church declares that to it, and therefore to the German nation, it has been decided that the Führer's Mein Kampf is the greatest of all documents. It ... embodies the purest and truest ethics for the present and future life of our nation.
18. The National Church will clear away from its alters all crucifixes. Bibles, and pictures of saints.
19. On the alters there must be nothing but Mein Kampf and to the left of the alter, a sword
30. On the day of its foundation, the Christian Cross must be removed from all churches, cathedrals and chapels ... and it must be superseded by the only unconquerable symbol, the swastika.
-from the Short Reports article Was Adolph Hitler a Christian?

Hitler's terrifying and genocidal Reich, purged of the Bible and it's Christ and with the Führer installed in His place as God, had no claim to the Christian message to word or in deed. Hitler's references to God in Mein Kampf or his claims to historical guidance and preeminence through the will of divinity are as valid again as the 'faith' of Saddam Hussein. The facts of history damn the ersatz invention of a Christian Hitler. These include the attempted assassination of Judaism and the 800 Christian pastors sent to concentration camps for bravely defying the Nietzschian God-Führer. None of these actions dovetail with the New Testament definition of true Christian character, which is secured firmly upon a foundation of love and charity. Even if failed artist Adolf was a closet Christian, he did a darn good job of keeping it to himself.

In Germany the physically handicapped, mentally ill, and others with so-called "worthless lives" are rounded up and sent to designated hospitals, where they are killed. Referred to by the Nazis as mercy killing and planned by Hitler's office and the Reich Interior Ministry, the "euthanasia" program will claim up to 275,000 lives when it goes into full swing.
-from Adolf Hitler's Killer File

History doesn't record every person who claims to be Jesus as Christ himself, but the revisionists try to extend this courtesy to Hitler ergo his claim to be 'Catholic' and despite his many anti-Christian statements including "(the) organized lie (of Christianity) must be smashed" so that the state would "remain the absolute master." Indeed, Hitler's actual statements and actions are much closer to the philosophy of our current crop of propagandizing atheists and their revered alters of absolute state secularism, than any nonexistent ideology of maniacal Rexism.

As for my 'stepping in the gap' statement, consider the millions saved from starvation by the completely altruistic Marshall Plan, John Kennedy's heroic Berlin air lift and face down of Communist Cuba, the prevention of the suffocation of what has remained free South Korea by the cult of the north, and the limited though positive influence capitalism has wrought upon the perpetrators of the Tiananmen Square massacre. When the Soviet Union finally fell so did it's institutionalized atheism and persecution of Christianity. These benefits are courtesy the Judeo Christian tradition and it's philosophical allies. Longer than ever the line of expatriates extends to these nations and not from them. The atheist nation-behemoths have crumbled, leaving despots and terror cells in their shadows.

Christians who believe the scripture we have been paid for with a price consider it a reference from which to gauge the fair market value of freedom. True freedom can only come from entering into a personal relationship with it's author. Such a relationship will inevitably place one into conflict with those who claim water is best drawn from an empty cistern.


Related post- Of Christ and Hitler Redux

Related by babysitting to Garrison Keillor

For those who aren't already aware, Garrison Keillor's nephew's wife babysits my nephew. My only other connection to Garrison Keillor (other than residing in the same state) is his presence in a dream I had last Friday night. As I was drawing a cartoon on the hood of a 1970 Chevy Impala, Garrison Keillor frumpishly passed by and refused to look at my work. I realized it wasn't the first time he had given me the cold shoulder. Before exiting my dream he conceded politely that although he understood I was a 'hate' artist, he would give my site a look the next time he was roving through the internet, which I had the distinct impression would be never. Perhaps my dream Garrison will change his mind and drop by one day for a visit.
President Bush has a good chance of adding Minnesota to his electoral college tally early next month, a probability which isn't being celebrated by homegrown liberal celebs such as Al Franken or Jessica Lange or Garrison Keillor. I know for a fact Garrison Keillor won't be celebrating because I witnessed his non-defense of his deceptively subtitled Homegrown Democrat: A Few Plain Thoughts From the Heart of America during an interview with Bill O'Reilly on Fox News Channel last month, and I've read his previous 'plain thoughts' on President Bush and Norm Coleman, the latter of whom he has referred to with exceptionally bitter anger, including calling down the wrath of God upon our Republican Senator for his 'sins.' For this last bit of business I admire Garrison's initiative if not his aim. Norm Coleman for all his faults has far outshone his do-nothing Democratic Senate counterpart who evacuated his Washington offices last week and is currently conducting business in a location the terrorists hopefully won't Target. I understand that we are paying Mr. Keillor against our will for his long running radio program, but at least we are receiving product for monies paid.
Much has been said about Mr. Keillor's latest musings in conservative circles, and much more has been said by Garrison to provoke the criticism. The nation has recoiled from the brink of socialism like a drunk avoiding that last muddy fall into the gutter. Many like myself are thankful that we have so far avoided the greatest mistakes of past civilizations and therefore disaster, but the rest see us tumbling blindly over the precipice and remain in a perpetual state of panic. We live with the government Ollie and Lena voted for, but no matter. God is great, and He has afforded us the light of humor by which we can discern the truth. As a former evangelical and a gifted humorist, Mr. Keillor deserves better than the bitter legacy he seems so intent to carve for himself out of a great career.

Kerry Wins Debate

That's right, the most excellently named Hairy Kerry Spice Mouse clearly wins the interactive Humor Debate on SpiceMice.com (no relation.) Bushy-Tail mouse has some decent lines, such as 'The cat from Iraq is in my sack, and he's not going back, Jack!' but Hairy condescendingly delivers the much funnier soundbites, including a great one liner regarding WMD's.

Hairy Kerry's profile also includes this statement-
Kerry already has lots of cheese for himself, more cheese than any one mouse could ever eat, so he believes he should be elected so he can give cheese to poor mice who could use a good snack.

Great sentiments these, and overlooking the fact that this is the philosophical posture of a small stuffed toy, it's a statement worthy of the respect of any Christian regardless of denomination, political affiliation or animate status.
Under closer inspection please note that Hairy's success at either election or obscurity should in no way affect his stated goal 'to give cheese to poor mice who could use a good snack.' He is free to do this at anytime, regardless of political success. So, what does the Mr. Kerry doll want? For what noble cause does he suffer starched whiskers and incessant mousing? For the opportunity to give your cheese away, of course.
Which is why I suspect he is losing the non scientific poll paws down.