News Outta My Control Archives - Life Outtacontext
The personal website of artist and writer Jeff Gates
art, politics, graphic design, writer, storyteller, photo illustrator, "Washington, DC"
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Artistic Tendencies, News Outta My Control / 07.02.2014

For its 10th anniversary Facebook created a short video for every one of its users, taking a look back at their favorite posts and photographs. "A Look Back," these minute videos, started showing up on everyone's stream as people shared them. The music was intentionally inspirational; the sentimentality was obvious. People either loved or hated them and a backlash shortly ensued. Of course, this made it ripe for parody and I never turn down an opportunity, especially when I can also make a powerful statement. So, what if this remembrance, a look back, was made for the Republican Party? Here's...

Fairly Odd Parents-Present, News Outta My Control / 27.10.2013

What becomes a legend most? I have no idea. I'm not the legend type. But, earlier this week I received my first fan letter. I have had a few brushes with fame—by now, perhaps an hour's worth. But, as always these strange encounters come in fits and spurts and without fanfare I quickly recede back with the rest of humanity. [caption id="attachment_4004" align="alignright" width="350"] My Swiss Media Debut: Il Caffè (Click image for larger picture and, if you can read Italian, see how this government shutdown played in Europe.)[/caption] Recently, as many of you know, I became the de facto poster boy...

News Outta My Control / 20.10.2013

For over two weeks the GOP closed the government in an effort to derail the Affordable Care Act. Except for the Republicans' radical Right (yes, Ted Cruz, I'm talking to you and your lemmings), no one disputes how destructive this was to American's confidence in our government. If you listen carefully, even George Will is moaning. What we could have done with the $24,000,000,000 of taxpayers' money they wasted just to make their ideological point. In the end, the citizens and more moderate legislators resoundingly rejected the Radical Right's antics. They gained absolutely nothing but disdain. So, what's a furloughed government...

Fairly Odd Parents-Present, News Outta My Control / 04.10.2013

On Day 4 of my forced time off I woke up to our local Fox affiliate's morning news program. First, a disclaimer. Fox 5 here in DC is not Fox News. Their connection is in name only. And our local Fox station has a much more professional approach to the news. A crew interviewed me last year when I had my ads in the DC Metro and that was one of the first questions I asked. It's clear the people on the Channel 5 morning news like each other and that...

News Outta My Control / 01.10.2013

I'm a Federal worker, working for the Smithsonian as a new media producer. And like all federal workers we have been furloughed because Congress has not appropriated any funding for this new fiscal year. This morning we were supposed to go into work to clean up, create "out of office" emails, and close up shop. It's often hard to describe what it's like working in Washington, DC. We are at the center of politics and everything that goes with it. It permeates our daily work lives. And, of course, these...

News Outta My Control / 26.05.2013

My revised illustration of writer Turley's four branches of the federal government. My version has an important addition. Jonathan Turely, public interest law professor at George Washington University, writes in today's Washington Post about the rise of the fourth branch of the federal government: the numerous agencies which administer and support many of the policies implemented by the traditional three branches of government. Turely, states at the beginning of his piece: The growing dominance of the federal government over the states has obscured more fundamental changes within the federal government itself: It is not just bigger, it is dangerously off kilter. Our...

Artistic Tendencies, News Outta My Control / 05.02.2012

Vote Out Obstructionists!

The latest poster from the Chamomile Tea Party. Click on image for larger view. (Not only is this a remix of a World War II-era poster this is a remix of my first Chamomile Tea Party poster. And aside from the text, I've made some subtle changes in this new one. Can you see them?)

Pulling this country out of the Wall Street-induced recession has been glacial. To a great extent it's because the Republicans aren't that interested in solving America's problems as much as making sure that Barack Obama is a one-term president. This is Republican Senate Minority Leader, Mitch McConnell's stated goal.

He's not alone. Recently, GOP Senator, Mike Lee, of Utah said he would obstruct all of President Obama's judicial and government agency nominees in the Senate, even though these nominees have bipartisan support.

This behavior is unconscionable. We must move forward to help Americans in need and to compete in the global economy. We need to elect people from both parties who will work together towards these ends. Extreme ideology and obstruction have no place in American government now. Vote out the obstructionists!

Artistic Tendencies, News Outta My Control / 29.01.2012

Don't pigeonhole the American public. We've got a lot of opinions that aren't so easy to categorize. Click on images for a larger view. Polarization of Congress, the electorate, and, most importantly, the issues that are important to Americans is destroying this country. Believing America can be so easily categorized into liberals and conservatives, blue and red, is hampering our progress. Solving our problems are more complicated than that. We should acknowledge shades of gray when debating the election of our President and Congresspeople. The issues are not simple and to make them so in debates and political ads is disingenuous....

Artistic Tendencies, News Outta My Control / 15.01.2012

A new poster from the Chamomile Tea Party. In today's Washington Post, Jonathan Turley, Shapiro professor of public interest law at George Washington University, discusses 10 reasons why the U.S. is no longer the land of the free. It's a sobering account of the slow and sometimes transparent erosion of American's rights after 9/11. In addition, to our political rights, our economic wellbeing sits on a precipice. The disparity between the rich and the poor is one of the widest in the history of our country. Why aren't people protesting? Well, they are. Occupy Wall Street and others are pointing their...