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CARTOON: “Up In Smoke”

October 3, 2016

From Clay Jones on his political cartoon “Up In Smoke,” how millennials support Gary Johnson for his stance on marijuana, and whether or not they know anything else about him

First, let me start this with the news update that Tommy Chong is not dead. Mr. Chong has recently been included among celebrities who are victims of death hoaxes that have gone viral. Tommy is still kickin’ … man.

Yesterday, I published a cartoon and column on newspaper endorsements. I’m going to write about them again.

While Donald Trump can’t pick up an endorsement from any significant newspapers, Gary Johnson has six. Those are the The Caledonian-Record (Vermont), the Chicago Tribune, The Detroit News, the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the Winston-Salem Journal, and the New Hampshire Union Leader.

I was watching an interview Saturday morning on CNN with editors from The Dallas Morning News, The Arizona Republic, and The Detroit News. One of the editors said their endorsements are for the candidate that best fits the principles of the newspaper. That’s probably the best description I’ve ever heard for newspaper endorsements. The thing that’s scary is Gary Johnson best fits your publication’s principles?

While USA Today published their first presidential endorsement in their entire history, which was a non-endorsement for Trump, they wrote that they couldn’t get a consensus among their board members to endorse Hillary Clinton. That’s understandable, so it’s kinda alarming that the six newspapers endorsing Johnson have a consensus among their board members for the candidate who wags his tongue at reporters, doesn’t know what Aleppo is, and can’t name a single foreign leader he admires. Really?

I don’t know what’s up with those editors, but a lot of millennials are supporting Johnson for his stand on legalizing marijuana. I hope the editors of The Chicago Tribune aren’t toking up while ignoring the rest of Johnson’s positions, but that seems to be what his young supporters are doing.

While I also support legalizing weed (and ending the war on drugs), there are more important issues to consider when voting for president, like should the candidate be in an insane asylum and kept away from sharp objects?

I was perusing the list of celebrities who have endorsed Gary Johnson, and while he has a lot of professional wrestlers, athletes, and Larry the Cable Guy (I would have pegged him as a Trump supporter), I couldn’t find Cheech and Chong on the list. I had fun drawing the stoners, though I wasn’t a huge fan. I liked some of their stuff and laughed my butt off at moments in some of their movies, but you have to admit: Their movies really sucked. Still, they were extremely likable and charming characters. It’s hard to dislike them. I also like drawing Gary Johnson. It’s pretty easy to draw a live human being when they’re already a cartoon.

claytoonz.com/2016/10/02/up-in-smoke