A man walks over to an employee at the gun counter. There are guns in the glass case and on the wall with a moose head. The caption says: 'I'm just glad the Virginia Tech massacre didn't cause us to go overboard and rehash the gun control debate.' Editorial cartoon by Bruce Beattie. [full story]

There's a ritual for this now. The first news bulletins are sketchy, but then the TV trucks arrive, and the horror starts to spread. Through the camera's long lenses there are red emergency flashers and cops with drawn weapons and paramedics struggling with victims. Confusion and misinformation are everywhere. And in the gut is the feeling, "No. Not again," shocking in its familiarity. This was a tragedy for a diverse and striving 21st century America, ... [full story]

A man reclines on the office couch of a psychiatrist. He says: 'You know, Doc ... after that shooting rampage at Virginia Tech I don't feel safe around anyone anymore.' The psychiatrist takes notes while peeking arournd the corner at the man on the couch. Editorial cartoon by Bruce Beattie. [full story]

As police sort through details of the horrific massacre at Virginia Tech, most Americans struggle to make sense of what appears to be a senseless tragedy. After all, reports of this sort are common from the war zones of Afghanistan and Iraq. Images of bombed-out buildings, smoldering Humvees and photos of fallen soldiers fill television screens and newspaper pages almost daily. But this report emanates from the picturesque hills and valleys of central Virginia, from ... [full story]

The top of the Supreme Court building is depicted as a clothes hanger. The caption says: 'The Roberts court.' Editorial cartoon by John Sherffius. [full story]

Abortion opponents applauded the Supreme Court's 5-4 decision Wednesday upholding a nationwide ban on a late-term abortion procedure. Still, the 2003 congressional ban went too far. And by affirming the ban, the court has also gone too far. It's egregious enough that the Partial Birth Abortion Ban allows the federal government to intrude on medical decisions between a patient and physician. But by supporting its constitutionality, the majority of the court also is giving the ... [full story]

An amazing phenomenon of American capitalism lies in the tendency of very smart, very well-paid executives to do some very dumb things. It's too soon to be certain, but we may have just witnessed a prime example at Circuit City. The country's second-biggest electronics chain announced that it is laying off 3,400 hourly workers, mainly in its stores, because they earn too much money. They'll be replaced by lower-paid, less-experienced people. Out go the experienced ... [full story]

Iraqi men with suitcases stand at the entrance to Osama bin Laden's cave. In the caption, they ask bin Laden: 'We've finally realized we're not even safe in Baghdad's Green Zone. Can we move in with you?' Editorial cartoon by Bruce Beattie. [full story]

Often during the thirty years I spent as a public high school teacher, business owners would complain to me that the graduates from our school that they employed could not write a clear description of their services OR explain a billing error in writing OR contact a client impressively in writing. I agreed with these business people. Our Oregon high school graduates needed then, and need now to be given a better environment in which to ... [full story]

A billboard shows Don Imus in the studio. The sign says: 'Imus in the morning.' The letters 'gnora' have with a caret to make the word 'Ignoramus.' Editorial cartoon by Bruce Beattie. [full story]

Even before radio-TV host Don Imus' repellent reference last week to the Rutgers University women's basketball team as "nappy-headed hos," his history was so littered with disgusting racist remarks that it was already a mystery how the CBS radio network and MSNBC kept him on the payroll. Nothing about his two-week suspension changes that fact. Imus shouldn't just be contrite, he should be ashamed - but that also holds for CBS and NBC for keeping ... [full story]

Don Imus sits at a radio station booth. He holds a paper labeled 'racist remark.' A poster behind him says: 'Imust be an idiot.' He says: 'New show, people ... ' Editorial cartoon by Gary Markstein. [full story]

Years ago, few people would have considered carbon dioxide a pollutant. After all, it is necessary for plant life and is part of the cycle that keeps life alive on Earth. But given the scientific consensus that too much carbon dioxide will have a negative effect on the planet's climate and on public health and welfare, it makes sense to consider the gas as a pollutant that should be regulated by the federal Environmental Protection ... [full story]