Brutus Isn't Even Attempting to Raise His Boat

July 8, 1967

A problem Wilberforce? This is a far cry from the idiotic milquetoast Wilberforce we currently have in the strip. I can't picture today's Wilberforce carrying dynamite under his arms, having a two-by-four strapped to his back (or is that a rifle?), and a violin case that is obviously disguising a Tommy gun.

Clearly Brutus doesn't learn from his mistakes because Brutus loses accounts all the time. Master's degree? Brutus is on his doctorate of mistakes by now.

Gunke? I wonder if it's pronounced Gunk, Gunk-ee, Gunk-ay, or Günke like Tobias Fünke in Arrested Development.

Sink or Swim

During the War of 1812, the British burned down the White House, the U.S. Capitol, and the Washington Navy Yard. The British occupied D.C. for a little more than one day. Reconstruction began fairly quickly with President Monroe moving in 1817, although work wasn't completed.

When John Quincy Adams became president in 1825, he and his wife, Louisa, moved into the partially rebuilt White House. It still had scorch marks, still in the process of being rebuilt, and Louisa never really considered it a home. Also, because of the controversy upon how Adams was elected, the administration wasn't that popular with the general public. There was a slight recession going on at the time and the Adams' were chided for "living in opulence' while common Americans were suffering. To combat this, Louisa held a public exhibition of the White House which further angered the public. Flash forward to today where there is a huge recession going on and it is becoming more difficult for Americans to live their lives, President Trump is demanding a $400 million ballroom, has covered much of the White House in gold accents, and seemingly has more plans up his sleeve like turning the simple ionic columns to ornate Corinthian columns. Do all of these goes against what the White House means. The White House is purposely simple and not ordained with elegance and luxury because the House doesn't belong to the president who occupies the White House, but to the people. The fact that President Trump is focusing his attention on showboating (Venezuela, Iran, Cuba) and renovating the White House when there is homelessness and people starving in the United States shows how out of touch (or ignorant) he is.

July 7, 1967

I honestly can't think of any word that would elicit this type of reaction from me. And this is in a newspaper in the 1960s. The word could be 'damn' for all we know.

Get your lips off of Veeblefester's cheeks and remove your nose from his ass, Brutus.

I understand what "raise all boats" means, but it's still a weird saying.

Rose Is a Rose

July 6, 1967

I don't think you are going to need that much string to fly a kite. How does this even happen? I say cut the loose string and the spool off, tie them together, and just leave Brutus where he is. He's the parks department's problem now.

Charlie Brown had been flying kites (and being bad at it) for about 15 years now so it was already a classic trope.

I absolutely don't care about all the work my neighbors do for their yard. I have to mow and trim back invasive vines which is already too much work. If you're side-eyeing me for doing the bare minimum for my yard, then the problem lies with you.

That's My Boy Who Said That!

July 5, 1967

There's an episode of I Love Lucy where Lucy and Ethel learn to play golf so they can spend more time with their husbands. But instead of learning from a pro, they have Fred and Ricky teach them. Anyway, Ricky and Fred make up a bunch rules and one of them, as a penalty, your ball gets stomped into the ground (mashie!). That's what Veeblefester is doing here--playing by I Love Lucy rules.

What a lovely day, yeah we won the war. May have lost a million men, but we got a million more...

I think Chip drew Brutus' head and then slammed the panel down because the mark for the lower ear seems obtrusive and unnecessary. I keep thinking I have a spot on my screen.

Dream Life

April 24, 1988

Wastrel's caught up in the legal system again. Here's hoping the court believes him about the Miracle At Lourdes. It's not like Wastrel is on easy street, he seems really bad at money.

Is that a little girl on the jury or is it Bring Your Daughter to Jury Duty Day?

I don't talk in my sleep. My Mom talked in her sleep a couple of times. "Does Veronica have flowers in her yard?" I have no idea who Veronica is.

Pink is definitely a choice for the lighting in this bedroom. Is it the light from an alarm clock?

School's out so I'm (barely) working over the next couple of months. If you would like to support me or this website, you can throw some money at the About page or click the 'tip' button.

Back In Black

Did they agree that Brutus shouldn't be wearing black sweaters? I mean, he normally looks like an amorphous blob anyway, but that black sweater is not doing him any favors. He also looks like a piece of licorice.

*relieved exhale* Chip knows that 'dumb' has a 'b'.

July 3, 1967

I think Veeblefester is allowing too much from Agnes. She must be part of a really good union or, honestly, she'd just use Veeblefester's hatred of Irish shanties as proof of discrimination.

Soupposting

July 1, 1967

Is the reverend here between services and spending his downtime harassing parishioners who decided to sleep in? This definitely isn't making me want to go to church, now give me my newspaper.

A well-known secret of a lot of restaurants is that whatever is the special is what they got cheap or what's about to go bad. Not this place. They open fresh cans bright and early in the morning and leave the giant pot of soup to simmer on the stove all day.

That's a Good Zoom Out

June 30, 1967

I have already commented on this post and I really don't have anything more to add.

Those dandelions look pretty good. Big and healthy.

I love when people are like "I could never be [job with a lot of education/skill]." "I could never be a horticulturist." I don't think anyone is going to be asking you. Barely keeping house plants alive is a little different from what horticulturists do. Me: *badly cuts a sandwich in half* "I could never be a surgeon." No, for lots of different reasons!

Just Showing Up At the Doctors...

June 29, 1967

WHAT'S GLADYS GOING TO DO TO BRUTUS' LEATHER CHAIR?!!!?!!!

Is anybody else suddenly physically ill?

Look at the smile on the doctor's face. He doesn't like dealing with old people, but they sure are cash cows!

This Report Is Good

It's clear that Trump is building a bunker so when he inevitably has to leave in 2029, we will be unable to get to him. He claims the ballroom is for security, but that only makes sense if Trump never leaves the White House. Is that what he plans on doing? If the 2028 election is between JD Vance and Kamala Harris (for example) and Harris wins, will Trump just barricade himself in the ballroom and drone-attack and snipe anyone that comes to carry him out? And if Vance wins, is Trump just going to live in the White House with him? No other president has needed a massive ballroom or an underground impenetrable bunker, but this president needs one?

Also, let's not forget that groceries are up about 30% and gas is hovering in the low- to mid-$4 range, not to mention prices going up due to tariffs and everything just being more expensive. President Trump is building a ballroom so he can receive bribes from corporate oligarchs and then cower in fear when the people have had enough, but we have to tighten our belts and just...wait. "This is peanuts. I appreciate everybody putting up with it for a little while. But I don't even think about it." "[I] don't think about Americans financial situation."

To be honest, Trump has said he'll barely be able to use the ballroom because it's scheduled to be finished in late 2028, but I don't think he'll be able to use it at all. He'll be dead by 2029, either naturally or other means.

And now...comics.

June 28, 1967

Probably because Brutus drops every ball they throw at him or he misses and the ball flies by him. It ruins the fun when you constantly have to pause and wait for someone to chase the ball.

This is how imagine Butch Kapinski looks. But I know Butch is probably a chubby kid with a buzzcut and, probably, a dick nose.

I expect an 8- or 9-year-old to repeat words when writing. I think you need to come down off your high horse, Brutus. And what is Wilberforce doing a report on? Is all the information in his head because he has no books or even a computer near him.

I refuse to acknowledge the 'thesaurus' comment.