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Posts tagged ‘Glenn Foden’

Glenn Foden, Editorial Cartoonist for The Daily Signal, Dies


Reported by Ken McIntyre / / Rob Bluey / / March 21, 2016

URL of the original posting site: http://dailysignal.com/2016/03/21/glenn-foden-editorial-cartoonist-for-the-daily-signal-dies

<!– Glenn Foden collaborated on numerous Heritage Foundation projects and drew a weekly editorial cartoon for The Daily Signal. (Photo: Patrick Frank/Patchbay Media) –>

Glenn Foden, who died Sunday, collaborated on numerous projects for The Heritage Foundation and drew a weekly editorial cartoon for The Daily Signal. (Photo: Patrick Frank/Patchbay Media)

Daily Signal editorial cartoonist Glenn Foden, who delighted in puncturing the pretenses and policy missteps of politicians, died Sunday after suffering a brain aneurysm.

Foden, a resident of Mount Airy, Md., had a gift for communicating conservative principles through his artwork. No matter the topic, he could deliver a humorous take on the most complex policy issues.

Genevieve Wood, senior contributor to The Daily Signal, who worked with Foden to settle on the topic of his weekly cartoon, recalled:

Every Wednesday morning I’d get an email from Glenn saying something like, ‘The ink is simmering, the coffee pot is on, what Washington debacle should we tackle this week?’ And so would begin our weekly back and forth of cartoon concepts to match up with a commentary on The Daily Signal.

Sometimes the first draft was the best; sometimes it took us three, four, or five revisions. It made no difference to Glenn—he was always committed to finding the right image and right angle to make the point and to make his audience chuckle.

Foden’s relationship with The Heritage Foundation dates to 2013, when he began producing cartoons for our Morning Bell daily e-newsletter as well as “whiteboard” videos such as this one on the Falkland Islands.

Patrick Frank, a former Heritage employee who films and edits online videos for The Daily Signal and other clients, recalled:

Glenn would leave around 5 a.m. to make a 1.5-hour or so trek from his place in Maryland to my place in Alexandria, where we’d spend all day filming a whiteboard video. … From storyboarding through filming, Glenn and I worked incredibly well together. [He] made sure each little detail of every scene was thoughtfully considered and delightfully executed.

We had a lot of time to kill working on these, and we’d have a blast talking about family, self-employment, ’70s rock bands, kind of anything but politics, to be honest. He epitomized the phrase “If you love what you do, you won’t work a day in your life” and was truly an inspiration to me. I’m heartbroken to think that we won’t have another filming day together.

Amy Payne, who edited commentary for The Daily Signal’s predecessor, The Foundry policy blog, was instrumental in his becoming a regular here.

“Glenn was the type of person you usually only dream about working with,” Payne said, adding:

He was fun, easygoing, and had no ego involved. He was happy to bring others’ ideas to life. All I had to do was say, ‘What if we did something like this…,’ and he would whip up the cartoon version. No matter the time of day, he would come through for you—with a smile.

The Massachusetts native became a weekly contributor to The Daily Signal, Heritage’s multimedia news organization, when it launched in June 2014.

Foden, a political cartoonist for more than 25 years, once said his first and best vote was for Ronald Reagan.

Foden is survived by his wife Teresa and twin daughters Emily and Hannah.

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We’ve collected some of our favorite Foden cartoons for The Daily Signal as well as reflections and tributes on Twitter and his Facebook page from those who knew him.

I want to express my condolences to the family of Glenn Foden. Glenn passed away today. Glenn was a very conservative…

Just a few of our favorites among Glenn Foden’s cartoons for The Daily Signal are below. To see more of his work for us, go here.

 

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Glenn Foden epitomized the phrase "if you love what you do, you won't work a day in your life," says Patrick Frank, who collaborated with the cartoonists on many projects. (Photo: Patrick Frank/Patchbay Media)

Glenn Foden epitomized the adage “If you love what you do, you won’t work a day in your life,” says Patrick Frank, who collaborated with the cartoonist on many projects. (Photo: Patrick Frank/Patchbay Media)

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Cartoon: Land of the Free?


waving flagDrawn and Posted by Glenn Foden / / February 05, 2016

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Heritage Foundation expert Anthony Kim wrote earlier this week Brokeabout the 2016 Index of Economic Freedom.

Millions of people around the world are emerging from poverty thanks to rising economic freedom. But by sharp contrast, America’s economic freedom has been on a declining path over the past decade.

According to the 2016 Index of Economic Freedom, an annual publication by The Heritage Foundation, America’s economic freedom has tumbled. With losses of economic freedom in eight of the past nine years, the U.S. has tied its worst score ever, wiping out a decade of progress.

The U.S. has fallen from the 6th freest economy in the world, when President Barack Obama took office, to 11th place in 2016. America’s declining score in the index is closely related to rapidly rising government spending, subsidies, and bailouts.Tytler cycle cdr modified 071712

Since early 2009:

  • Government spending has exploded, amounting to $29,867 per household in 2015.Beat up
  • The national debt has risen to $125,000 for every tax-filing household in America—a total over $18 trillion.
  • The government takeover of health care is raising prices and disrupting markets.
  • Bailouts and new government regulations have increased uncertainty, stifling investment and job creation.

This is not something to take lightly. Economic freedom is the foundation of U.S. economic strength, and economic strength is the foundation of America’s high living standards, military power, and status as a world leader. The perils of losing economic freedom are not fictional.

It is painfully clear that our economy has been performing far below its potential, with individuals, families, and entrepreneurs being squeezed by the proliferation of big-government bureaucracy and regulations.

As documented by the index, and by other scholars, resusucationAmerica’s economic freedom has been declining at an alarming pace. Indeed, as The Wall Street Journal recently summed it up succinctly, Obama is “a champion when it comes to limiting economic freedom, and American workers have the slow growth in jobs and wages to prove it.”

Not surprisingly, our economic dynamism and innovative capacity have been measurably reduced. Self-inflicted wounds include:

No wonder the labor force participation rate has remained at near record lows after more than five years of steady decline.

Worse, vibrant entrepreneurial growth has been stymied by greater policy uncertainty and mounting debt. And a disturbing trend toward cronyism has gravely eroded the rule of law and distorted our free-market system.

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, keynote speaker of the official release of the 2016 Index, recently stated:

“It’s been almost seven years since the Obama “recovery” began, and our economy is barely out of neutral. Why does America have to settle for this?”Why

Restoring economic freedom is prerequisite to revitalizing and brightening America’s future. 2016 is the year to reaffirm the principles of limited government, free enterprise, and rule of law so that we can reconstitute an America where freedom, opportunity, and prosperity flourish. The time to act is now.

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Politically INCORRECT Cartoon: Missing the Target


waving flagDrawn by  Glenn Foden / / January 29, 2016 / Glenn Foden is an editorial cartoonist for The Daily Signal.

URL of the original posting site: http://dailysignal.com/2016/01/29/cartoon-missing-the-target

PastedGraphic-2Heritage Foundation experts Hans von Spakovsky and Andrew Kloster wrote on the indictment of David Daleiden:

In an astonishing bit of legerdemain, a local grand jury in Harris County, Texas, has refused to indict Planned Parenthood for violating a Texas statute that prohibits the attempted sale of human organs, despite the video evidence to the contrary showing Planned Parenthood doctors and executives discussing organ sales.how many body parts

But the very same grand jury has indicted David Daleiden, the founder of the Center for Medical Progress (CMP), who organized, filmed, and released the undercover “60 Minutes”-style videos, for supposedly violating the very same Texas statute, which also prohibits the attempted purchase of human organs.

In other words, a private individual whose only intent is to expose possibly illegal activity is under indictment for actions in connection with an undercover video operation, but the illegal actor itself—Planned Parenthood—is off the hook. This backward situation will undoubtedly chill journalistic activity in Texas and elsewhere.

According to copies of the two charging sheets filed with the Harris County Clerk’s Office that we obtained, Daleiden and his colleague, Sandra Merritt, were also indicted for tampering with a governmental record—specifically, making and presenting a falsified California driver’s license, which is a felony.

The charging sheet for the organ purchase violation is based on the Texas Penal Code§48.02: Prohibition of the Purchase and Sale of Human Organs.

A violation occurs if a person “knowingly or intentionally offers to buy, offers to sell, acquires, receives, sells, or otherwise transfers any human organ for valuable consideration.” This is a misdemeanor charge, and there are various exceptions, such as for “reimbursement of legal or medical expenses incurred for the benefit of the ultimate receiver of the organ.”

The undercover videos that CMP released certainly seem to show that Planned Parenthood employees were trying to receive much greater compensation for the organs of aborted babies than a simple reimbursement of costs. They talk about getting “top dollar” and discuss different prices for various organs. Handling and transportation costs are not going to change whether you are harvesting—what a euphemism for what is really going on—a liver or a heart.

PP MonsterYou even have one Planned Parenthood executive caught saying she needed to get the right price for aborted organs because she wants “a Lamborghini,” which, if it was a joke, was an atrocious one.

The point, however, is that if the grand jury believes that Daleiden should be charged with offering to buy a human organ, based on the videos, it almost inconceivable that the same grand jury would not also conclude that Planned Parenthood should be charged with violating the same statute by offering to sell him human organs. The entire context of the video involves a complicated haggling process, but only one of the two parties appears to actually intend to go through with the illegal sale—and that party is Planned Parenthood.

Crucially, the Texas statute also has a clear intent standard: A violation requires the grand jury to find that CMP made its offer to buy “knowingly and intentionally.” Given that the grand jury knew that all of these videos were part of an undercover sting operation intended solely to show what Planned Parenthood was doing; that CMP was not actually in the business of purchasing organs like one of Planned Parenthood’s other partners,StemExpress; and that it was a fake offer, how could the grand jury possibly conclude that this intent standard was met? It is highly likely that no reasonable jury would ever convict under these admittedly unusual factual circumstances.

This indictment also sets a terrible precedent.Picture1

Over the past decades, there have been countless undercover video operations conducted by major news organizations at ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox News, CNN, and others, as well as local at news stations all over the country. Today, the Internet has made it possible for citizen-journalists and investigators to employ the same techniques to expose wrongdoing without the need for the major resources required by shows like CBS’s “60 Minutes.”

While this is not the case with the Texas statutes at issue, there are even some federal laws that encourage this type of behavior. For example, Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (the Fair Housing Act) authorizes private undercover testers and sponsoring organizations to recover damages if they discover discriminatory racial treatment in housing, even if they had no intention of moving in, or used fake identities (tampering with a government document!), or even if the conduct was illegal under state law!

Usually, a black individual or couple poses as prospective tenants in order to uncover racist housing policies. Should these individuals, reporters at major news operations, and citizen-journalists be treated as criminals or held civilly liable if they used a fake ID to expose wrongdoing? We should be encouraging undercover operations that root out illegal behavior, not criminalizing them.

Law professor Ron Rotunda, an expert on legal ethics who holds the Henley Chair and is a distinguished professor of jurisprudence at Chapman University, told us that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott should stop this abusive prosecution by pardoning the two defendants and then ask that a new prosecutor investigate Planned Parenthood’s apparent trafficking in body parts.

Ken Paxton, Texas’ attorney general, has alreadyannouncedthat the state’s investigation of Planned Parenthood and the “shameful disregard for human life of the abortion industry” is ongoing.

What we do know is that there are a lot of unanswered questions regarding the possible bias of the Harris County district attorney’s office, and its apparent fixation on prosecuting citizen-journalists rather than the malfeasance they exposed.

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Glenn Foden Cartoon: Obama’s Division of Power


waving flagCommentary By Glenn Foden / / January 15, 2016

Glenn Foden is an editorial cartoonist for The Daily Signal.

URL of the original posting site: http://dailysignal.com/2016/01/15/cartoon-obamas-division-of-power

(Photo: Glen Foden)

(Photo: Glenn Foden)

Genevieve Wood wrote earlier this week on President Obama’s executive actions:

kingobamafingerconstitution-300x204Many of President Obama’s executive actions—whether the most recent ones calling for more gun control or past ones extending amnesty to millions here illegally—are already being or will one day be challenged in the courts.

This is why it’s encouraging to see reports this week that lawmakers may finally make a real effort to checkmate the president’s proclivity to go around them and create laws on his own. It’s a strategy grassroots activists should demand.

Though Congress has given up much of its power when it comes to using its “power of the purse” to stop executive overreach, there is one power it still holds, and there is absolutely no reason not to use it. Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution, popularly known as “Advise and Consent,” requires the Senate to approve all presidential appointments of cabinet officials, ambassadors, and federal judges.

The day of the Senate “consenting” and following a go-along get-along strategy on such matters should be over. I don’t care which Republican senator is being pressured to get one of his buddies or constituents seated on a court or appointed to a high-ranking government position.

As my colleague at Heritage Action, CEO Mike Needham, said this week, “given the administration’s disregard for Congress’ role in our constitutional system of government, the Senate should refuse to confirm any more of the president’s judicial nominees.”

Amen.

Be prepared to hear from the left that this will cause a judicial crisis and from some weak-kneed Republicans that it’s not nice. Both arguments fall flat.

For one, as Heritage legal expert Elizabeth Slattery told me, “President Obama himself hasn’t really made judicial appointments a priority. He is ahead of President George W. Bush in terms of overall appointments at this point in their presidencies but slightly behind presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton.”

I guess when you view yourself as the creator and interpreter in chief of our country’s laws, who needs Congress, and who needs the courts?

Additionally, this past year had one of the lowest average vacancy rates in the past 25 years. A total of 91 percent of district and circuit courts are filled. There is no judicial crisis.

As to members of the GOP who find it hard to stand up to the president, it would be nice for a change if they would do that instead of going back on promises to their constituents to stop the president from doing end runs around the Constitution.no more rinos

Checks and balances are what ensures that one person or one party or one branch of government can’t act as dictator. Yes, there are still ways Congress could use its power of the purse to “check” the president.

There are limits on how appropriated funds can be spent, but good luck getting the Obama administration to live within those.  

Congress could pass a rescission bill (basically taking back the money it originally approved spending, and thereby try to prevent the president from using it to enforce his executive action on guns or amnesty), but Obama would veto it.

And while Congress could say it will not fund X or Y activity after the latest funding bill it just passed expires on September 30, that still gives Obama eight months between now and then to continue his imperial mischief.Tyrant Obama

Refusing to confirm any more of the president’s judicial nominees is something Senate Republicans can do immediately. No filibuster by Minority Leader Harry Reid or veto by Obama can stop them.

Republicans have no excuse not to use their power to prevent the president’s unlawful executive actions from becoming long-term assaults on the Constitution and the rights of American citizens.

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