Illustration

I have a new illustration up on InTheFray.com. One good thing about drawing illustrations is that you learn about many different topics, including some you never thought about depicting before. That was the case for this article.

It's horrible to hear about the rioting in France. The segregation of Muslims in the country is its biggest problem. Discriminated against at work, isolated in Islamic ghettoes, they are angry, poor, and determined to release their hostility on society in general. I hope the French government can reclaim control of the situation. I also hope that this will show the country how important it is to integrate the Muslim population; the only alternative is civic unrest.

Last week I heard Grover Norquist speak at Harvard. One theme he made me think of was the conservative coalition. Last week, Patrick Guerriero, the head of the Log Cabin Republicans, also spoke at my alma mater; how, one might ask, can gay people possibly consider joining the party of Pat Robertson?

Apparently it's all an issue of what you want. If a gay person is very interested in, say, fiscal restraint, that might convince him or her to join the Republican Party. If other Republicans disapprove of homosexuality, they may not necessarily bolt if the party welcomes gays. They will bolt, however, if the GOP pushes for higher taxes. (It's also true for abortion.) This evokes images of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's coalition, which united such mutually loathing groups as African-Americans, Southern Democrats, and big-city union bosses.