David Baldinger - Cartoonist & Photographer

My new friend, Ahmmed Ghaib, an Iraqi cartoonist who now lives in Cairo did these caricatures of me the other night. I think they capture me perfectly. Hopefully, I will be showing more of his work in he future.  

While I support freedom of speech and expression for cartoonists around the world, I do believe that purposely hurtful or derogatory pictures are to be avoided. Many cartoonists around the world must defend themselves from their government daily. Many are being imprisoned. I do understand, now, that the Muhammad drawings that are the root of so much turmoil were published in a climate of anti-immigration.  Right Wing Europe is as opposed to newcomers as those in the US who are terrified of every Latin American that crosses the border. I do wish that the Muslim world would moderate on this issue and bring down the hysteria. They are accomplishing nothing by feeding the opinions of the finger pointers everywhere.

This is a small reproduction of the page the Danish newspaper that has set the Muslim world into fits only familiar to parents with toddlers. None of the cartoons really matter all that much. If the Muslims are offended by a bomb in a turban then maybe they should stop burning embassies, threatening death to cartoonists and publishers and especially give the suicide bombs a rest.

Ok. Ok. Enough is enough. We get the idea that the Muslims are pissed off about some inane drawings. Can't they see that they have drawn way too much attention to the pictures (that were originally published in December, by the way, to no notice). Well, anyway, here is my take on the final result. Even though the completely bizarre fiasco can be put down as a battle for free speech, the cartoonist is ultimately responsible for the effects of the viewpoint expressed. I guess, now, we take our lives into our own hands for disagreeing with other ideas. That goes for here in the USA and abroad.

Oops! - Bush Unaware Mikes Were Still On - Yahoo! News Quote of the day: "I support the free press, let's just get them out of the room." GW Bush In the immortal words of Bugs Bunny, "What an ultra-maroon."

Klutz - Klutz: Galactic Online Headquarters of Kids Activity Book Publishers If you have kids or happen to be a big kid yourself, you should take a look at the activity books from Klutz. I don't know of any better ways to get you kids away from the idiot box or the Nintendo than to let them smear some finger paint around or learn some crafts. There are too many offerings to describe but I especially love my copy of " Drawing For The Artistically Undiscovered. " On days when I feel like I just can't draw right or am all tense about drawing, I crack open this work book. If Quentin Blake , the illustrator for all of Roald Dahl's books, can't get me doodling, no one can. The drawing lessons and advice have been more liberating than four years of art school (which I don't recommend but that's a whole different story). If you are looking for something to do with the kids, then run, not walk, to Klutz.

Hmm. I know it is probably a propaganda ploy but you would think that Herr Bush would jump at the opportunity to reduce Medicaid and Medicare costs by allowing Cuba to pick up the tab. Fidel knows this will only help show Bush's policies towards Cuba as being ridiculous and over the top. He knows that Bush would never OK such a thing no matter what the benefit would be. Bush wouldn't even allow the hundreds of doctors Castro offered in the wake of Katrina to provide much needed services. In my mind, if Cuba is so horrible, allowing all those doctors in should be an invitation to defect to the US. Maybe they were worried no one would. Too bad. Many American citizens would benefit from quality eye surgery. I wonder if the American Interests Section in Havana will scroll this item across their windows on their electronic message board? I mean, they are so interested in giving the Cuban people much needed information from the "free" world, aren't they? ...

Can the Bush Administration act more ridiculous than the following item from Mexico? Our current President and his gang of thugs act like elementary school bullies.  The civilized world must reject the demands made by these bastards!   Expulsion of Cubans Scandalous   Havana, Feb 5 (Prensa Latina) The Cuban media Sunday called scandalous the order given by US authorities to expel Cuban officials and businesspeople from the Maria Isabel Sheraton Hotel in Mexico City. The incident was triggered when US Treasury Department, in line with extraterritorial blockade regulations against Cuba, ordered the Mexican Sheraton manager to expel the Cuban guests, who were scheduled to attend a business meeting with representatives of American oil companies.   The Cubans were even banned from having water or food, and even from using the facility corridors.   "This latest arrogant, small-minded US gesture reminds us of what might be summarized in only one p...

(from the Cagle Newsletter) More on the Muhammad cartoons controversy... Daryl Cagle ( Daryl Cagle's Professional Cartoonist Index ) writes : Yesterday we noted that the French newspaper, France Soir, reprinted the Muhammad cartoons in a show of support for press freedom, today Jacques Lefranc, the editor of France Soir , was fired. The BBC quotes France Soir owner, Raymond Lakah, a French Egyptian, saying that he: " ... decided to remove Jacques Lefranc as managing director of the publication as a powerful sign of respect for the intimate beliefs and convictions of every individual. We express our regrets to the Muslim community and all people who were shocked by the publication." Journalists at France Soir disagreed with the firing in a front page editorial that read in part: "Religious freedom gives people the right to practice their faith or not, but should not become a means to impose the rules of a sin...

Yesterday was Friday the 13th. Those who are superstitious freak out over this day. I am the opposite since I suffer from what I like to call “the Baldinger Curse.” That’s like Murphy’s Law to the tenth degree. So, when a day like Friday the 13th comes along, my luck actually rises to the level of bad luck, which is a nice improvement from my normal luck. Most days I feel like Wiley Coyote holding a spindly umbrella over his head to protect him from the huge boulder falling from a cliff.

A cartoon of mine has been included in an educational reference book. Below is info from the publisher's web site: Opposing Viewpoints SeriesAmerica in the Twenty-First Century (paperback edition) Published by Greenhaven Press "As America moves forward in the twenty-first century, many forces are changing its society. The authors of this anthology examine the causes and effects of some of these forces, including the impact of the American lifestyle, the role of technology and foreign policy, and domestic issues such as education, social security, and immigration policy." Published/Released: January 2006 ISBN: 0-7377-2924-4 Product number: 198262 Price: US $23.70 "Long-standing series about controversial contemporary issues continue(s) to turn out exceptional titles. Greenhaven's Opposing Viewpoints presents multiple perspectives on hot topics such as abortion, the death penalty, and censorship through excerpts from primary materials ranging from speeches to cart...

I was thinking about how we are all so dependent on technology and our electronic toys. I spend too much time sitting in front of my computer and am constantly being yelled at for not spending time with the family. Where is the rest of my family? The kid is parked in front of his computer watching DVDs of some badly made animation called “Aqua Teen Hunger Force.” He finds this show hysterically funny. I just don’t get it. He also is all wired up through his amps and effects pedals for his guitars. The wife is stretched out in her recliner watching endless true-life crime shows on Court TV or the perpetually running episodes of all flavors of “Law And Order.” Unless I’m watching a DVD of a film, I get bored with television. The occasional “Frontline” on PBS or something interesting on “Animal Planet” are my standard diversions. I would rather be chatting with my various friends from Cuba or Dubai. I am making contact with cartoonists from all parts of the world. It is a real sh...

I don't get too worked up about many things. The best method to get me ranting is to censor me or force that miserable blight on message cartoons--political correctness. There will always be something somewhere that offends someone. If you can't deal with a different viewpoint or even just a silly depiction, you need some therapy. I have a couple of disabilities but I don't get bent out of shape if someone makes fun of one of them. I beat my head on my drawing table every time I draw a cartoon because I have to worry about how this or that will "offend" someone. I find that very stifling. If someone has a problem, they can write a letter, engage in debate or just complain--anything that will elevate a drawing to the level of discussion or thought and not just a page decoration. The crisis of the week is that of the furor over the Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten , printing several cartoons depicting or making statements about the prophet Mohammed. Of course, anyo...

After spending way too much time trying to customize my blog over at the PWW server, I have run into a bunch of problems. The page doesn't show up correctly in Explorer and in Firefox, images want to download instead of going to the actual size version. The RSS feed doesn't want to work either. That's probably because I screwed with the css without knowing a damned thing about it. I like being able to post images through email but it has just become a real hassle. I will repost my messages as soon as I get a chance. I hope I can figure out how I can modify the template so I can use my banner. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

I'm going to use this to represent myself.  

This is my take on cartoonist censorship. We walk a tightrope between being seen and heard.