Quietly mocking witty title, photo and
words by Dorothy-June Fraser

Last night, our favourite American cartoons came back on the air from hiatus with a political bang…!
Every single show I watched in my Sunday night lineup (as in, "The Simpsons", "Family Guy", "American Dad") gave the Bush Administration a cartoon BOFF!! in the ass. Even the ever-Republican "War at Home" (the name itself…come on!) had a few jabs to the Bush League. Not that I watch it.
So, what does this mean? When did the Sunday lineup throw malice at the administration before now? Uhmmmm, lots.
But this Sunday evening was different. EVERY SINGLE SHOW had some piece of mind to throw out to the general public, FG going so far as throwing Brian and Stewie into the army in Iraq. But, so far as it goes, the message in most cartoons has never been so strongly anti-Republican, as far as my brain can remember, although there may be something more to that Coyote vs. Roadrunner thing; a possible stab at the red/blue choice in the States. Perhaps.
Actually, now that I am thinking about it, let's go back in time: to a simpler day when drawn, monochrome cartoons were dissent from the current political regime. And it's not as though they were taken lightly, either. These cartoons, from before the beginning of the French Revolution, have always carried heavy weight, being accessible to the public, as opposed to most politics. For example, shall we say, the artist Daumier in the late 19th century and his depictions of the First, Second, Third Class cars on the new trains. The filth portrayed in 3rd class cars was in direct opposition to the opulence of the first-class carriages. It was an obvious jab at the staggering gap between classes in the late-era Industrial Revolution.
So, in essence, cartoons have evolved from a while back, and a certain point lies in the fact that when there are little, drawn lines that get our point across, it's slightly less offensive (and dangerous to yourself, the maker) and you can go way further without dire consequences to your health, or ratings.
So, with the sleeping American public finally waking up to their regime and the problems thereof (I am NOT going to start), here come the cartoons! And not only do they appeal to the dick-and-fart humour we all love and need on the rainy nights, it's a simple enough formula to reach a broader audience. Without lithographs, without too much of a generally understood code to follow along and without permission, the media is stabbing back at the war-mongering administration of our neighbours to the South.
With the advent of the public's coming-to, it's not only cartoons and other TV dissention that is gaining momentum to either get the fuck out or move for governmental impeachment. Media, news, blogsites, everything, FINALLY!
But now, how is it that the cartoons tuned me in? Well, maybe I am no better than Josephine Blow from Illinois. Or maybe I just can't watch any American show that isn't a cartoon without vomiting profusely.
Probably the latter.