Talking Head Syndrome

”Heaven, Heaven is a place, A place where nothing, nothing ever happens.” - David Byrne/Jerry Harrison

Here's an example of a frequent criticism that I take issue with many contemporary syndicated cartoons. These are from few random, recent issues of our hometown newspaper's cartoon page (note that the Sunday edition is four pages). On one day, 9 outta 19 of the total cartoon features utilized a repeated image in at least two if not all of the strip's panels. On two separate days the majority (12 outta 19/13 outta 19) of the strips used the cookie-cutter/copy-paste technique for rendering identical scenarios and/or character(s) were depicted in the same way.  Now to be sure, the inexorable evolution of dwindling real-estate that the creators have to deal with does not lend itself to making panels of any detail much less compositional elements that would enhance the depth, or even have better rendered drawings. On the other hand, as I just re-learned about some basics in creating a single-panel/gag cartoon, is the maxim "don't be boring." Meaning, don't waste the reader's time. And in my opinion, there is nothing more boring than a head shot, followed by a head shot followed by another, yep, you guessed it, a talking head. As cartoonists we are endowed with the powers to draw any composition from any angle, from any point of view, as we have an unlimited budget to make impossible shots. Bill Watterson ("Calvin and Hobbes") + "Rose is Rose" by Brady/Wimmer are both outstanding examples of how some a few artists can successfully work within the limitations of the medium. By virtue of default, single panels tend to be much more compositionally composed than strips, presumably on account of having to tell the story and establish the scene all within one single frame. Same difference between photography versus film. And to be sure, there are examples aplenty within my own portfolio, and it's a recurring concern while tug-of-warring with myself over how much time to invest in each panel - more on that topic soon! In the meantime, what with AI advancement, any lackluster rendering will sooner than later lose has lost out to a generative algorithm that will be indistinguishable from the originating human-drawn source.

*Updating with a couple more sample spreads from the local newspaper's weekly comics section, pretty much clustered around the week of June 24/25/26/27. The ratio is the same, if not a bit worse. Also excerpting a prescient observation from the above-mentioned Bill Watterson from a legendary commencement speech he gave in 1989.

"Amazingly, much of the best cartoon work was done early on in the medium's history. The early cartoonists, with no path before them, produced work of such sophistication, wit, and beauty that it increasingly seems to me that cartoon evolution is working backward. Comic strips are moving toward a primordial goo rather than away from it.As a cartoonist, it's a bit humiliating to read work that was done over 50 years ago and find it more imaginative than what any of us are doing now. We've lost many of the most precious qualities of comics. Most readers today have never seen the best comics of the past, so they don't even know what they're missing. Not only can comics be more than we're getting today. but the comics already have been more than we're getting today. The reader is being gypped and he doesn't even know it.

            Consider only the most successful strips in the papers today. Why are so many of them poorly drawn? Why do so many offer only the simplest interchangeable gags and puns? Why are some strips written by committees and drawn by assistants? Why are some strips still stumbling around decades after their original creators have retired or died? Why are some strips little more than advertisements for dolls and greeting cards? Why do so many of the comics look the same?"

"LED Headlamp"

There are many theories as to what brought about the collapse of the Roman Empire, and the downfall of a civilization and societal collapse makes for no end of apocalyptic fodder. To be sure, our poisoning of the earth, air and water, pressures of overpopulation, loss of resources, animal extinctions, and the destruction of the ecosystem on a planetary scale are all sobering, suicidal, and statistical red flags.

But for me, another harbinger of doom has to be headlights, as in we appear to be literally blinded by our progress - no different than the proverbially transfixed deer. There is no better symptom of contempt for our fellow humans than to knowingly operate a vehicle with the newfangled LEDs when they create a significant safety hazard. At the very least ones that are just swapped-out replacements for regular ones and not professionally installed have to banned for the safety of everyone else on the road. The data is there, and it is painfully - hence the unedited original concept sketch posted above - obvious to anyone using a motor vehicle these days what a legitimate threat they are. Even if calibrated the way they are supposed to be, it presumes a level, flat driving surface (of which is simply, laughably nonexistent in the frost-heaved Interior), not to mention when half the automobiles are trucks whose headlights are directly at eye-level of most cars. Having to re-angle rear-view and side mirrors to avoid is a major hazard as well (pro-tip: when my car casts a damn shadow on the road up ahead - your lights might just be too damn bright). We're not talking about the comparatively annoying "using fog lights when there isn't any" or folks with several tiers of headlights on their rigs so as to see their way to the supermarket. This is more often than not as much of a potential accident every bit as serious as other impairments, like cell-phones or DUI's. But even if the social contract is broken, I do now feel a sense of companionship, a kinship of car when encountering another denizen of the road emitting an old-school beam that brightens my day. Er, night. Well, I mean, half the year up here it doesn't matter. But I'll be the guy flashing my stupid, weak little highbeams, even if most of the time you get a small supernova when the on-comer really hits their actual, real highs.

"Mother's Day 2023"

Couple points right off: One, is that the title refers to when it was drawn. More specifically when the feeling started growing that I need to say something, after the latest, at the time, in a series of mass shootings. The concept came from a particular shooting that happened a week before Mother's Day on May 6th, in a mall in Allen, Texas. The content was adapted from an amalgamation of sources that all reported on the experiences of a first responder. Almost as importantly was the realization it had also been about a year since the events at Uvalde, and the succeeding week of what turned out to be my eighth and final summer teaching cartooning at the UAF Visual Art Academy. I will delve into specifics on both process + perspectives over the rest of the post.
But before that, here's a short, panel-by-panel narrated version:

BLM, CRT & Me

#blackmugshot

It's once again my favorite time of the semester: the intro to comics unit for my Beginning Drawing studio art course. This time however there's an added bonus of banned books, and an opportunity to corrupt the influential minds of our youth expose students to the power of sequential art with pen + ink exercises and lectures on historical and contemporary creators all dovetailing into their upcoming critique. It's also now an opportunity to call attention to the rising threat of fascist populism being openly embraced and promoted by white supremacists (in no small part fueled by white fragility) at all levels of society including from the government down to local school boards. And I'm not even talking about the obvious issues (ex: slavery, indigenous genocide and colonialism etc.) but examining where and why theses issues intersect with comics and how they directly relate to current events.

Backing up a bit, in the precursor to the comics we experimented with pen + ink and I spotlight many illustrators such as Peggy Fortnum, Pauline Baynes - and especially Garth Williams. The above image from "Charlotte's Web" for example utilizes a deceptively simple composition, a variety of textures, coupled with linear perspective to enhance pictorial depth, a hint of landscape and even expressive animal anatomy. Many other seminal examples abound across his bibliography: from "Little House on the Prairie" to "Stuart Little" to "The Cricket in Times Square" Williams created a wealth of iconic imagery for many beloved classics in American children's literature. Which all makes this particular sordid chapter in censorship all the more surreal (but no less stupid): back in 1958, a segregationist/supremacist group - the White Citizens Council of Montgomery, Alabama – together with state politicians, had Williams’ book “The Rabbits’ Wedding” banned from public libraries for indoctrinating children’s minds with interracial marriage… because one rabbit had black fur and the other white. Just wait until they get around to reading "March" by Congressman John Lewis.

And now we have another chapter in the continuing fight against censorship with the controversy surrounding Jerry Craft's "New Kid," which also was the first graphic novel to ever win the Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award in 2020. Adding to the insanity Pulitzer prize-winning Art Spiegelman's "Maus" suffered the same attempt at suppression and subsequent reinstatement.

All of this within the context of my class falls under critical race theory, which is one of the new code-words for patriotic culture warriors clueless idiots to get inflamed about. Tongue-in-cheek suggested students could turn me into the academic authorities and administration officials for disseminating leftist propaganda (in a College of Liberal Arts no less) and dreaded critical race theory. This is actually a thing as the bigoted group Turning Point USA currently operates a "Professor Watchlist" for reporting and subsequent harassment of any faculty members who would dare to espouse such dastardly and nefarious topic. But as with all such instances the Streisand effect kicked into overdrive for these titles, rocketing them to the top of best-seller lists - a pure genius move brought to you by the very same folks who repeatedly vote against their own best self-interest.

If your concern here is over the depiction of mice penises then I submit that you lack any sense of morality and basic decency

Art Supplies in Alaska

Way up here in the Interior we are at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to procuring the tools of our trade, be it Cartooning, Drawing, Fine Art or whatever. Alaska does have one actual art supply store down in the big city: Blaine's located in los Anchorage, and I've known folks to do the 800-mile road trip just for that reason alone (I did it once with a housemate for straight down & back again bomb-run for doughnuts, but this isn't the time to get into that).

Had to do an emergency supply run around town to try and locate some workable fixative for classes, and struck out at the top only five choices in town. As an aside this particular instance of sticker shock was so egregious it caught my eye and merited a snapshot, and price comparison. And people think I'm joking when I say that even with a 50% off coupon you'll still save money buying online versus at the corporate chains - even with priority shipping fees.

Lots of folks equate Joann’s and Michael’s craft stores as interchangeable as Coke/Pepsi or Ford/Chevy or Mac/PC, but there are a few subtle distinctions. One is how Michael's has its own line of art supplies, the Artists Loft brand, which in my experience has some of the absolute worst materials. And when you are teaching beginning students it's especially crucial to not frustrate their initial explorations into making art by making them crutch their way using inferior supplies (which in turn means subjecting them to the cruel & unusual industry devoted to separating artists from their money with exotic art materials). Another is how much inventory at Joann’s is kept under lock + key behind giant glass display cases, which requires the additional step of tracking down someone free somewhere out on the floor for assistance. Which, in my experience, given the preponderance of poorly-staffed and untrained help usually on hand at these chain stores, can be quite a quest in itself. One could also argue against the marketing strategy behind making a customer feel like a petty thief, regardless of any shoplifting issues.

Speaking of getting ripped off, as an art teacher I continually warn students about how much we get taken for a ride on supplies, and for this post we won’t even start in on the notorious Alaskan shipping woes esp. what with the “contiguous states” caveats snuck into the fine print at the bottom of most orders and specials (“certain restrictions apply!”).

Here’s a quick sample list of what materials I used in a random weekend at the studio: the first price is Dick Blick versus Michael’s:

Mixed Media paper $6.28 vs $12.99 

Bristol Board $11.64 vs $17.99 

India Ink $6.65 vs 9.99 

Marker set $21.99 vs 49.99 

Brush $12.04 vs $13.99 

Pocket brush $11.49 vs $30.99 

Watercolor pencil set $10.79 vs $22.99 

Total: $80.88* vs $158.73** 

*plus free shipping (Lower 48) + another 10% off 

** these are on-line prices… costs are even higher still for in-store, as we get gouged AGAIN when the shipping costs are passed along to the customer.

 

"Lone Wolf"

So this particular panel was mothballed for more than a few months, repeatedly pushed back in the production pipeline for publication - almost a year after drawing the damn thing. I usually have a handful of "filler" material - ones that can fill in any accidental blanks in the schedule. Kept bumping this one mostly on account of it not being particularly appropriate for the Nuggets®™ brand genuine homemade cartoon. As in, it's pretty much a political panel, and I usually wait to suckerpunch readers with something really serious until an issue comes along that merits muddying the water. And as of late, a series of them have. So this is another unpublished exclusive to Ink & Snow, since it's too serious for a funny and too obtuse for an editorial but just perfect for posting.

Folks normally like their entertainment unsullied with any current events, untethered from reality, which most of the time I'm all about anyways. More and more these days I exist as an existential observer - not ignorant or disengaged, but detached and objective as possible. But, above and beyond any "Dixie Chicks effect," there are some things one has to take a stand on, regardless.

Way back in 2018 when things were normally crazy

Like, for example, my personal central issue of literacy - perhaps one of the last truly neutral topics we have left. Unfortunately we have seen the politicization of previously apolitical topics. And even though environmentalism issues are, in my opinion, the most important ones facing us as a species on this planet (aside from a few others that are lining us up for extinction) there is a crucial step beforehand that needs to be cleared away first. And I think that applies to every other cause under the sun, be it bigotry, social justice, rights etc. - each of us needs to step up to the plate as informed and aware as possible, and give what we can, do what we must.

These days I have really come to a love/hate relationship with the internet, and have been withdrawing more and more, which is at odds with my usual instinctual engagement, so it winds up the proverbial "between Scylla and Charybdis" dilemma. So much toxic crap out there, and it  oftentimes seems to foment more trouble than it's worth - as illustrated by the panel posted above. On the other hand it enables the sharing of so many potential solutions, promote much positivity, and empowers so many more to take courage, and to take care. So I'll share a few more items along those lines.

Speaking of bigotry, we do well to study and learn from what has gone before, as history tells it. Failing that, which happens more often than not, even in popular media there are trails of breadcrumbs: last week I finally got around to checking out the HBO series Watchmen, and was just simply blown away. I'm a big fan of both the comic and the movie, and this was amazing, an outstanding homage and achievement unto itself. It's been many years since a television series had such a deeply personal impact on me - it was surprising how much was packed into such a comparatively short series, and it will require multiple viewings to unpack.

A few other items that dovetail quite nicely with this piece accompanying post. One is an interview with Henry Rollins who succinctly summarizes my exact situation with regards to so much these days ("There are a few men who can have the other half of my sandwich any day"). Add to that a sobering and passionate performance - direct link here - by Dave Chappelle ("This isn't funny at all"), bookended with this - direct link here -  full-length interview with Kimberly Jones that was excerpted on June 7’s “Last Week Tonight” w/John Oliver.

They both have powerful words that hurt to hear, but need to be said, and most importantly, listened to. This is one of the few time in my life I need to constantly be on guard against the instinct to offer my vaunted opinion: as with so many other areas in my personal life, and along with many others screaming at each other in the public arena, this is a time I really need to just shut up and hear things out from other perspectives.

"Spring Breakup" v3

After all of the recent Throwback Thursdays and retro postings - mostly hinging on the Freeze-Frame feature - I occasionally wonder what a reboot would look like with random panels from the past. In theory whatever one chosen ought to look a little better. Or at least that's what you'd hope for...

Like a lot of artists I tend to wince at the work of my formative years... but hey, they're just little breadcrumbs all leading back up to where I am today, so it can't be all that bad. Which is to say, they're not worthless at any rate: they served a purpose as stepping stones, and/or in this instance, are notches on the measuring-stick.

Which, for those of our viewers keeping score at home, covers the very first incarnation of this cartoon way back in 1986, then again in 1991, and finally both the digital and the watercolor wash variation of the reboot. That's a full spread, and a great encapsulation of an evolution that's been unfolding for over thirty years up here in Alaska. "Glacial pace" would be apropos.

And yeah, supposedly your not supposed to compare yourself to others, but on the other hand if you can't objectively assess growth in relation to your own work, at least in retrospect, then you might lack a critical facility which could handicap any substantive insights about your personal progress.

Ideally at some point it evolves into a self-sustaining, self-fulfilling prophesy, an Ouroboros of art, where your own work begins to inspire you to create more art. That's literally drawing from the well.

All this puts to the lie that is an artist's best years are always behind them. The so-called "creative peak" is a mythical metric that's only useful as an excuse to make yourself feel like shit. Like we ever need any help with that.

Recently I became aware that one of the revered, sacred texts of art, Cameron's "The Artist's Way," was given a secular reworking, or at least the core set of principles. Way back when I read the original book, once, then put it on a shelf along with all the other dusty, musty art books and self-help guides, and have never looked at it again. Been too busy making art you see. Kinda like when I was a Philosophy major, I am reminded that Life is what happens to you in the meantime while you're busy studying the Meaning of Life. Here's an appropriate example of the tweaking:

New: 8. As we open ourselves to creativity, we will see powerful but subtle adjustments that lead to personal and artistic growth. (Old: 8. As we open our creative channel to the creator, many gentle but powerful changes are to be expected.)

The original ranks right up there with similarly mealy-mouthed, evasive phrasing of any 12-Step group's theology-lite, and is ultimately about as helpful. This reboot removes any hint of the supernatural, and instead replaces it with equally effusive and nebulous artsy-fartsy. Every so often I have a student who gushes about how awesome The War of Art is, or how much Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain (an outdated and unsupported theory which is a pet peeve of mine) has changed their life. I even have one recommended text in my Advanced Drawing syllabus: "Art & Fear" by Bayles/Orland - it's less than half the pages and doesn't even have any pictures. Or watch the latest TED talk (the contemporary, multimedia version of on an online self-help manual) - hey it's all good whatever, that's fine. Never deny yourself anything that might possibly inspire you to make art. Just make sure you're doing it all along anyways, nomatter what course of action - that's the key. Just as with the traditional, disciplined structure of a formal class, you should eventually start to see improvement. These differences tend to get more noticeable over time, as evidenced by the posted examples.

Joël Franusic

It's a Wash (Redux)

Previously on Ink & Snow I've covered the evolving application of water-soluble pencils/watercolor wash onto pen + ink originals, and touched on the process and technique. I'm still at it... the materials (via Dick Blick) are expanding if not the ability: recently treated myself to a deluxe set of Derwent "Inktense" water-soluble pencils, and replaced a set of Derwent "Graphitint" ones that went MIA last year (presumably walked of with a student). The painstaking process of creating new palettes is extremely useful as one can immediately see the contrasting aesthetics between the two lines. I use the color keys as a useful template by sticking them both under the sheet of plexiglass that covers the drafting table.

And posted below is the seldom-used set of "Aquatone" pencils which are a solid stick of medium, as opposed to the usual sheath of wood with most pencils, and it results in a particularly fragile tool, as evidenced by the continually breakage. This is no doubt due to a large degree with my heavy-handed approach, which also influences my choices of dip-pen to the more heavier gauge nibs.

Here's a sample of my brutal hack approach as used on a previously posted panel "Sheeple." After scanning the original pen + ink piece for digital shading and/or coloring, it gets the ol' artsy-fartsy treatment so as to be presentable for sale when I peddle my wares at the next gig. Like, for example, the upcoming annual retrospective (see 2016, 2017 and 2018).

I'll frequently go on a coloring binge and spend a few successive days moving into production overdrive: the drawing table gets leveled so as to facilitate mugs of water (I usually hold the bottle if India ink in my opposite hand when inking), and at least a dozen panels will be in various stages of completion scattered about the studio.

Oh and by the way, it finally dawned on me after all these years exactly how truly bad "Artist's Loft" brand materials are. This is the generic-level quality label that Michael's craft stores use, and I can't NOT recommend their stuff enough. In fact, I can't think of a better way to effectively crush the budding hopes and dreams of any aspiring talent than to expect them to create anything of quality using these materials. Speaking specifically here on two main items: their pencils (crappy lead that always breaks sheathed in some sort of fake wood product) and their exceptionally weak watercolor wash pencils (which you will destroy the paper well before you are able to elicit anything stronger than a bad stain from these supposedly soluble colors). This was demonstrated with brutal effectiveness in front of a few intermediate students during a class session where we had the opportunity to test-run a few different brands in a comparison/contrast. Fail.

Also, speaking of coloring comics, I had recently become aware of someone's admirable, if not amateur efforts at colorizing my work as it appeared in the newspaper. Despite recalling the many years I spent ranting about ripping off artists - not to mention the semesterly lectures to art students about intellectual property rights and the concept of copyright - I for once didn't go scorched-earth but patiently explained that, ahh, no, this ain't okay. I mean, it was actually rather touching to see someone invest so much time + effort on their side-project, and definitely they will get the first signed edition of my new coloring book whenever that comes out. Still, that's a real big no-no, especially when posted on a social media site, which, after a couple warnings, removed the work. There's a school of thought that it's better to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission, but that doesn't hold up legally.

Vote YES on ONE!

In just a few days there will be (among many others) an incredibly important issue on the ballot for Alaskan voters: the Stand For Salmon initiative.

Editorials: "Digging Holes" + "Strategic Pathways"

So this is a two-pronged post, as is the double-edged cartoon, as I see these elements as inextricably intertwined: the national priorities are hand-in-glove with local + regional ones. And all politics being personal, there is a definite cause & effect with regards to funding. And these are choices that reflect priorities, which say more about us as a society.

First is how one of our Senators from Alaska is pitching for more Ground-Based Interceptor missiles, and like all the other war pigs lined up at the trough, doesn't hesitate to ignore the obscene immorality of spending money on bombs over bread.

This will cost billions (after the estimated $40 billion to the initial installment): approximately 2.5 by my back-of the-envelope math, based on the first round… meanwhile the state faces a budget deficit of $2.8 billion – with million in cuts to education alone. Speaking of which:

"University of Alaska has eliminated fifty academic programs in the last couple years," said UAF Chancellor Dana Thomas. "With that, 900 positions across the state, 400 of those with the Interior Alaska and our community campuses associated with the university Alaska Fairbanks."

With that perspective as a backdrop, another dimension can be added with a second element, or another piece to this puzzle, at least as far as how such priorities impact us on a local level. The closure of a Fairbanks institution (note that at this point the triage is restricted to the cafe and not the bookstore as a whole) is a proverbial canary in a coal mine, or more appropriately, a ptarmigan in an oil field. For many, many semesters as a both a student and as an instructor, I've stopped off inbetween classes at The Second Story Cafe. This is to say nothing of the regular visits for any number of other reasons: from cartoon jams, meetings, sketch groups, signings, browsing books and doodle sessions, it's been a second studio to me for decades. To say that over the years I've become a fixture at the establishment is an understatement: countless numbers of my panels have been worked up while sitting at a table in this particular setting. with innumerable postings on social media documenting what an integral part of my process it has become.

As to politicizing its closure, as I see both of these as part of a pattern that's inextricably linked with the inexorable, cascading clusterfuck courtesy of many of the incompetents in the legislature, and I think it's crucial for folks to connect these dots. Besides myself, there are many of us who fit squarely in the demographics (university affiliated) of affected people in this continuing fiasco of Alaska’s slow-motion budgetary implosion.

To be sure, there’s more than enough blame to go around: elected officials are accountable on every level, from the office of the governor, the state legislature, the dolts ensconced at the federal grade, to the university administration as well. Guess losing the elitist ivory tower avocado toast clientele isn’t important to legislators (many – not all - as there are notable exceptions particularly in the university district). No worries though since the market for alcohol, drugs and guns will only continue to rise (see Anchorage).

It's Economic Domino Theory in effect: the Alaska State Legislature fucks around, guts the education budget, the Legislature continues to fuck around, cuts impacts local schools + universities, the Legislature fucks around some more, landlords extort obscene business + residential rents, the Legislature fucks around in overtime, the ripples widen, people lose their jobs, our community suffers, folks leave. And – surprise - the Alaska State Legislature keeps on fucking around. Rinse, repeat.

And there doesn't seem to be much hope in the Strategic Pathways initiative underway at the university either, as it continues to foster a Lord of the Flies balkanization among faculty, staff and students who suffer from impacts on the classroom, job insecurity and loss of morale. Notwithstanding widespread protests, and viable alternatives, an impending shutdown seems imminent, and given the systemic failure of government, it falls to us as individuals to organize and to resist.

Connecting Dots: Mean People Suck

Yet another Alaskan politician has put our own special breed of elected gerrymandered representatives on the (national stage now) map of vulgar stupidity.

“You have individuals who are in villages and are glad to be pregnant, so that they can have an abortion because there’s a free trip to Anchorage involved,” Eastman said. - Alaska Public Media

"America Again"

   As a post-script to a previous post about this unfolding fiasco that faces our national environmental health, specifically the budgetary implosion threatening our system of refuges and parks (Updated with this latest insanity here). To put into context this deluge of initiatives dismantling pollution controls, from waste from coal in streams to littering the land with lead, the wolves are in charge of the proverbial henhouse, with virtually every single head of each regulatory department in government now being chaired by sworn enemies of their respective responsibilities. In the normal workforce, you wouldn't get a job if you proudly state at the interview how much you hate the place where you want to work and - above + beyond systemic incompetence - your sole qualification and goal was to gut and kill off the very company you are tasked with running, but these are definitely not normal times.

More ranting below the fold...

Dear Senator...

"Signed, Pissed"

I grew up in Central New York, and the closest decent-sized body of water we had was Onondaga Lake. It was also known as "America's most polluted" lake: I can still remember the thick, acrid stench from the raw sewage and chemical/industrial waste, and the signs warning people to stay out of the water. Rotting mats of gunk and the occasional dead carp littered the shoreline, not far from where we would sit in the park and eat our Heid's Hotdogs. That pales in comparison to the desecration and cultural genocide of the local Native Americans and their relationship with the waters.

The Alaskan Republican version of the future Chena River

The other half of my family lived out in the farmlands of Western New York, right by Lake Erie. This was the most notorious of the Great Lakes, with an equal history of toxic contamination, most notably the Cuyahoga River catching on goddamned fire, which was the rallying cause of the 1969 Clean Water Act, in turn administered by the EPA.

Yeah, about that whole EPA thing: Fast forward to the end of February 2017, and the signing of an executive order that begins the rollback of protections for clean air and water (one-quarter of its budget) that this administration has begun to attack now that it's off the leash.

(link)

But wait: here comes Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan with some simply stunning hypocrisy and bald-faced Orwellian double-speak:

"This new order signals a return to the rule of law and prioritizes environmental protection, keeping our waters clean without running rough shod over the Clean Water Act and our economy."

I have addressed here in the past over multiple posts the obsessive fixation and hatred Representative Don Young has for the environment. Now Senator Sullivan aspires to take his place in the pantheon of hyper-partisan posturing. Adding insult to injury Sullivan is simultaneously attempting to capitalize on the wholesome image of Alaska's wilderness with his "Frontier in Focus."

 I'll close with an excerpt and link to a far better perspective on Sullivan's hypocrisy by the astute Wickersham's Conscience:

"Once you know that the Koch Brothers own Koch Ag and Energy Solutions, which in turn owns Koch Fertilizer, which manufactures and markets a wide variety of fertilizer products used in the agriculture industry; well, it all makes sense. The Clean Water Rule would limit the amount of fertilizer that be applied to land, which might hurt the billionaire brothers’ profits. And their profits are always the most important thing.3 And Senator Carpetbagger’s mean little soul is owned by the Koch Brothers. 
Once again, it is crystal clear – clearer than the waters of America’s rivers – that Senator Sullivan apparently represents the Koch Brothers, not Alaskans."