…and my ‘impression’ of it:
'Ezra's dungeon'
Yes, it is not a ‘perfect’ copy, the colours are brighter (on purpose), the shapes are not the same – but this is simply my ‘impression’ of the ‘promise of bright freedom’ – only as an illusion, a projection on the wall of this dank, gray, cave of a dungeon… please put it down to ‘artistic licence’!
Well, the funny thing is…the day before I wrote about the death-threat Mr. Levant had received, and the day of the benefit for a comic who is being dragged in front of the thought police for sayin ‘unfunny jokes’, my young son had drawn a series of cartoons, capturing an innocent 9-year-old’s perceptions of our struggle for the freedom of speech!
(Yes, the seating positions of Ezra and the Inquisitor (or, is it Inqisitrix?) are mirrored in the comic….please excuse that detail – but note that it has been carried throughout the comic strip. Also, note the beautifully-rendered, iconographic painting on the wall, which clearly identifies the setting!)
Ezra Levant is being 'told off' by the HRC Inquisitor
The hammer (gavel?) comes down! It knocks poor Ezra through the ceiling.
The hammer hits the table so hard, it goes right through!
As Ezra frees himself, the hammer rebounds, crashes through the wall behind the Inquisitor...
...and the hammer hits the neighbour!
...mid-air collision between Ezra and the Inquisitor...
....the rough landing, as the neighbour grasps the hammer...
The angry neighbour throwns the hammer back, clever Ezra ducks!
As the KO'd Inquisitor gets stuck in the table, Ezra is free!
And the moral of the story?
If you bring the hammer down on someone who does not deserve it, it might just rebound onto you!
Xanthippa's Chamberpot 
July 24, 2008 at 14:15
Excellent cartoons!
You have a very observant, clever, smart son. Lucky you.
And congrats on teaching him about free speech.
July 24, 2008 at 16:02
Please tell me your child’s name and address so I can report him/her to the Human Rights Commission.
Resistance is futile.
July 24, 2008 at 17:44
Thought I’d better add a postscript since the internet seems to be populated by people who don’t get satire.
Yes, it was a joke.
Of course, in the future …
July 24, 2008 at 18:29
Ah, Akira, that is the problem….
…that you even fell the NEED to explain a joke! That is a sad state of things indeed.
July 24, 2008 at 19:26
How come this idiot wasn’t prosecuted for hate speech (or telling bad jokes)?:
“While in Atlantic Canada, Chretien noted that he much preferred Easterners to Westerners. Chuckles ensued and Chrétien said: “I’m joking.” More laughs, to which he responded in a deadpan tone to even greater laughter: “No I’m serious.” Despite these careless remarks, Chrétien still managed to win nationwide support on election day, claiming seats in every province.”
Arf Arf Arf.
Is there a statute on limitations on bad/regionalist jokes in Canada?
BTW, I saw “son”. The “child…he/she” comment was a tribute to gender-free speech so beloved by the loons.
Like the gender-inclusive St. Paul: “When I became a man or a woman, I put away childish things.”
I like these:
July 24, 2008 at 19:44
Good question!
I really do not think there IS a statute of limitations…
As for the xkcd: nighttime stories – totally unrealistic! Like ANYONE would EVER pick a favourite other than ‘Ender’s Shadow’….or, at a stretch, ‘Shadow of the Hegemon’!
Really!
July 25, 2008 at 00:19
Excellent point.
I don’t see how anyone could pick Xenocide as their favorite.
That reminds me … it’s been awhile since I’ve read any of the Ender series …
July 26, 2008 at 02:59
He who has so little knowledge of human nature as to seek happiness by changing anything but his own disposition will waste his life away in fruitless efforts.SamuelJohnsonSamuel Johnson
July 26, 2008 at 17:23
Very clever! In the first one, does Ezra have his fists curled, or is he just leaning forward with his head on his hands? I like to think he’s sitting there in combat position, ready to counter-attack!
July 27, 2008 at 00:41
If a woman seeks education it is probably because her sexual apparatus is malfunctioning.FriedrichWilhelmNietzscheFriedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche
July 27, 2008 at 11:22
@ Dr. Mabuse:
In the first frame, the Inquisitor (Inquisitrex?) is yelling a string of invectives at Ezra…. what appears to be ‘curled fists’ is the first of the abstract symbols used to convey the invectives. Mr. Levant is just baffled by such behaviour, as so eloquently expressed by the ‘…..Um……’
Though your interpretation would be excellent, too!
August 5, 2008 at 18:45
I get such a kick out of these;)
June 24, 2010 at 21:29
[…] Even kids could figure it out! […]
March 12, 2014 at 16:45
Hi, I’m taking a beginning voice instruction class, and I’m trying to find backup music or karaoke music for a solo, but everything is too high (or too low if I try to sing an octave lower). Is there some way to change this or somewhere you can find alto music? Or do you have suggestions on songs for a lower voice? I’d like to do something from a musical, but if not that then either christian or oldies. Ideas?.