Sunday morning toons: Special "Do you know what 'Land of the Free' means?" edition

Sarah Palin's abrupt, bizarre resignation Friday caught everyone--including the news media, the GOP leadership, her staff, and political cartoonists--flatfooted, so we'll have to wait until next week (at which point another shoe, or several, may have dropped) for proper coverage of that.

But fate has not been unkind to the cartoonists this week: The Schwarzenegger-led financial implosion of California, a string of celebrity deaths, the long-awaited Franken Senate victory, the sentencing of Bernie Madoff, the return of Governor Sanford, and--almost overlooked in all the hubbub--the actual, real, no-kidding beginning of redeployment of American troops out of Iraqi cities. (It's a start.) And it's all in Daryl Cagle's toon round-up this week.

And let's kick it off patriot-style, with a salute to Independence Day from Marshall Ramsey, Bob Englehart, John Cole, John Darkow, Jeff Stahler, and Bill Day.

p3 Picks of the Week: Mike Luckavich, John Darkow, David Fitzsimmons, Michael Ramirez, Steve Sack, Henry Payne, Dana Summers, Larry Wright, and Mike Lane.

p3 Award for Best Adaptation from Another Medium David Horsey.

The p3 Certificate of Harmonic Toon Convergence goes to Nate Beeler, Jeff Stahler, Scott Santis, Chip Bok, and Jeff Koterba,

p3 World Toon Review: Patrick Chapatte (Switzerland), Sergei Tunin (Russia), Frederick Deligne (France), and Guy Badeaux (Canada).


To help everyone have a safe and enjoyable 4th of July, Ann Telnaes reminds us of the three important rules: (1) Place on ground. (2) Light fuse. (3)--and this is the really important one--run away!


p3 Guest Toon: Tom Tomorrow asks: Does any of this seem familiar to you, too? A little déjà vu? Hm? Anything?


Protecting Our Endangered Toonists: Cartoonist Bob Eckstein describes the demise of his cartooning career, including his artistic breakthrough after attempting to draw with his opposite hand, how it feels to be the last cartoon published in a magazine before it goes under, having his work used without permission on a restaurant placemat in Hazleton PA and knowing the only justice he may ever get is a free dinner the next time he's in Hazleton PA, and how Mickey Mantle's death cost him his big chance.

(Thanks to John Sherffius for permission to use his "Signature Loss" image. Click to enlarge.)


Will the revolution be Twittered? Portland homeboy Jack Ohman thinks it might.


"The land of the free"--do you know what that means? I thought so." A young Porky Pig gets a tutorial in American history from a rather disturbing-looking Uncle Sam in this unusual Merrie Melodies short, animated by Chuck Jones, which premiered on July 1, 1939. Best not to get too fussy about the missing details--like "under God," or Alaska and Hawaii (all of which would come later), or who we were taking up arms against in 1776, or what happened to the people who were already on the land during the great "westward expansion," or the unpleasantness because of which Lincoln was called upon to deliver that famous speech.

p3 Bonus Toon: The legislature managed to finish its work in time for the holiday weekend, and now Jesse Springer just hopes the celebration doesn't get washed out.