The first scholarly book to examine Garry Trudeau's Doonesbury comic strip notes that for all its cultural significance and political influence, the cartoon has been at times as misunderstood as another artist's New Yorker cover satirically depicting the Obamas as terrorists.

Brigham Young University humanities professor Kerry Soper chronicles Trudeau's 40-year career in Garry Trudeau: Doonesbury and the Aesthetics of Satire, published this month by the University of Mississippi Press.

Soper, who wrote his undergraduate honors thesis and doctoral dissertation on Trudeau, is an accomplished cartoonist himself. He won the Charles M. Schulz Cartoonist of the Year prize in 1990, given annually to the top college cartoonist.

His book highlights the episode in the early 1970s when one of Trudeau's characters, on his radio show, pronounces "guilty, guilty, guilty!" U.S. Attorney General John Mitchell, accused of complicity in the Watergate scandal. Outcry followed, but Soper points out that a closer reading of the strip suggests that Trudeau was actually mocking the media's rush to judgment and hysteria surrounding the issue.

The stir caused by that strip - and more recent ones publishing only the names of soldiers killed in Iraq - demonstrate Soper's main premise. He argues that even practicing a much-dismissed art form, Trudeau became the most significant cultural critic and satirist of his age. And that even amidst the decline of newspapers and cartoons, his consistency, integrity and quality outshines modern challengers, from Saturday Night Live to The Simpsons to The Daily Show.

"He has a very traditional belief that satire is a sort of a moral endeavor, that you are waging this righteous battle against powerful figures and institutions and you can actually affect and change society and people's lives through your satire," Soper says. "People might find that naïve or self inflating. He does have a big ego in that sense. But he is also very principled."

For example, the book discusses how Trudeau's treatment of his character B.D., an Iraq war veteran who lost a leg in combat, is complex in its satiric treatment of what Trudeau probably perceives as an unjust war while still honoring the sacrifices of its fighters. The series' empathy and gritty realism is not only unusual for comic strips but for most forms of popular entertainment, Soper says, successfully blending humor and pathos.

Trudeau is critical of Saturday Night Live and its ilk, Soper continues, because they "are scattershot and indiscriminate in their targets, reflexively rebellious in their treatment of anything on the cultural radar."

Trudeau's career began as cartoonist while he was at Yale, where he was a contemporary of one of his future targets, George W. Bush. Soper points out that Yale's quarterback at the time was named Brian Dowling, whose initials inspired B.D., whom Trudeau sketched wearing a football helmet all day, every day before his military service. Doonesbury began in 1970 and has been carried by as many as 1400 newspapers. Trudeau won the Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning in 1975, and his 60 books have sold more than 7 million copies.

That immense success insulated Trudeau against some of the commercial pressures that would have felled lesser satirists, Soper argues. He highlights the many times controversial treatments resulted in editors cancelling the strip, only to revive it after intense letter-writing campaigns from its fans, many of them baby boomers seeking counterculture material that contrasted with the bland, neutral comics on the rest of the funny pages.

On the eve of the 1980 presidential election, Trudeau ran a weeklong series called "Mysterious World of Reagan's Brain" that depicted the candidate's mind as "deep, neglected, uncharted territory - a sort of brain of darkness," Soper says. More than two dozen papers dropped the strip, including the Indianapolis Star. Editors there received 850 phone calls of complaint and succumbed to pressure to reinstate the comic.

In his book, Soper coins the term "sateur" to describe Trudeau's ability to engage in principled social criticism for many years within intense institutional and economic pressures. It's a combination of "satirist" with the French term "auteur," more commonly applied to filmmakers such as Alfred Hitchcock or Preston Sturges who successfully created a distinctive body of popular work within the restrictions and pressures of the Hollywood studio system.

Trudeau is also unique in his ability to deliver political commentary outside the editorial page.

"Many editors felt he didn't belong on the comics page," Soper observed. "His is political cartooning in a comic strip form and thus unlike most comic strips; at the same time, it is superior to a lot of the political cartoons because there is character development and ongoing narrative complexity."

Soper's admiration has its limits, though. He criticizes aspects of Trudeau's drawing ability and expresses ambivalence about the practice of combining satire with a kind of investigative journalism that Trudeau has attempted from time to time. The cartoonist suggested the government suppressed evidence that could have indicated drug use by Dan Quayle. He even used his strip to offer a $10,000 reward to anyone who could provide proof George W. Bush served in the National Guard.

"You expect a satirist to engage in exaggeration and distortion," Soper said. "But that runs counter to the roles or objectives of an investigative journalist, who has to be very strict about sources and information and make sure it's accurate. I defend his right to do it, but it causes grief for editors and readers who may not know what they are reading."

Trudeau is famous for depicting sitting presidents with symbols - a waffle for Bill Clinton and an asterisk for George W. Bush's first term, for example. Looking forward, Soper takes a stab at predicting how the venerable strip may depict an Obama or McCain administration.

"Obama could be difficult, but Trudeau might target his penchant for elevated rhetoric and deeply resonant voice that can sometimes sound pretentious," Soper guessed. "Maybe his symbol would be some kind of floating trumpet coming out of the clouds, like a pronouncement from the heavens.

"He'd have an easier time with McCain, who is often depicted as a hothead. You wonder if he'd go with a stick of dynamite with the fuse lit, or hammer the age stereotype with a walker of some kind."

The response below references the JHub post:

 Is Idaho State University Bleeding Faculty, Staff, and Student Talent? ,

That post included the following sentiments:

"John Kijinski as Dean is doing quite well at SUNY Fredonia. John Knox will soon begin as Dean at Mankato State. Mark Salisbury, whom ISU persecuted for over a year, has won regional and national awards at U of Iowa. Ed Nuhfer is Director of Faculty Development and Professor of Geoscience at California State University Channel Islands. Ed has been instrumental in securing three grants while being well supported to deliver academic workshops twice a month. Linda Deck who made the Idaho Museum a major cultural centerpiece of SE Idaho and her husband Ralph, who brought in over a $million in grants; they are both are at Los Alamos. One of ISU’s top researchers, Rob Van Kirk, has been snatched up this year by the Cal State system at the Humboldt campus."

and ...

"Ken Bain, author of a best-selling book on college teaching about former ISU history professor Bradley Simpson, entitled What the Best College Teachers Do, wrote in an email: 

“By the way ... Bradley Simpson is headed to Princeton. With his new book coming out, he got offers from Princeton, Northwestern, Stanford, and I think maybe Chicago--but I'm not sure on the latter.  The book, Economists with Guns, promises to be one of the most important works in diplomatic history to emerge in a long time...".

*****

Ed Nuhfer responded:

Hi Michael --

It’s nice to read good things about Brad and other good people in your blog, and about what they are currently contributing to the world. No matter where these people go, they will accomplish good things. I have surely enjoyed the opportunities in my work here, but also affirm I enjoyed those years I had at Idaho State University.

Your two workshops a month note was an understatement—it has been closer to three—and this is about the first month in sixteen that I have not gone to a conference or given a workshop. We recently held a most successful Boot Camp for Profs® in Colorado, and again had a terrific ISU faculty participant.

Life’s really fine here in CA —one can get indigestion feeding on all the opportunities. I once was the only faculty developer in Idaho; now I have over twenty colleagues in just my own university system alone--a system which produces 90,000 graduates a year, but it’s the leadership quality rather than the size that accounts for the opportunities.  We also have 15 of our folks in the Olympics, which makes these weeks particularly special for us.

Incidentally, Ken Bain was Brad Simpson’s advisor. Brad lent me the most worn copy of Ken’s “What the Best College Teachers Do” I had ever seen. It is obvious he used and treasured that book. I recall Brad as a very kind person and extremely dedicated to students’ success. He was one of the most supportive people for faculty development when we were there together at ISU. I am happy he has such an abundance of success.

It is usual for competent people to move to and from campuses all the time. What makes the ISU situation less usual (and perhaps generated this blog) is the negative innuendo spread from within ISU in recent years (after Brad’s departure, I believe) about those departing or reassigned.  It is hard to find anything from elsewhere comparable to the disrespect shown in The Chronicle article... about Van Kirk, or the planting of "Dean Demoted…" headline articles about Dr. John Knox complete with university photos alongside incongruous statements of "confidential personnel decision" in local newspapers. Both articles appeared after I left ISU. I (and others) wrote letters reprimanding the editor of the Idaho State Journal for printing the latter. In the end, it appears the only things disgruntled locals who planted such innuendo produced were some very nice career advances for their intended victims, some vacancies at ISU, and some major successes for other universities.

I maintain contact with friends and colleagues at ISU and some ISU folks who relocated to varied places. It’s always good to correspond with them. A co-author and past student from intro geology (Creative Writing Major), Pam Mosbrucker, and her colleague Tobin Alder just had their second edition of “Cyber Gold...” published and sent me a copy. They are wonderful folks there in Pocatello, with an ever growing national reputation for their innovative work.  

An enthusiastic and very fun group of ISU geology majors stayed at my house in Colorado last fall when attending the national Geological Society of America Meeting, and I learned recently that past geology chair Scott Hughes is now acting dean of Arts & Sciences. He was excellent as chair and could be a fine dean at any institution.

"This site is not for the faint in heart," says the website of a group called he Citizens to Recall the Bannock County Assessor. "We are serious about the recall. If you want to help and affect change within the Bannock County assessors office then please do so."

A property tax revolt is underway.

Having been renters during my family's years in Bannock County, we don't have as much of an emotional connection to this issue. I am inquiring, for research purposes, from those closer to the fire.

Comments on http://www.citizensofbannoc...   include:

and:

How do you feel?

... and how do property taxes affect renters?

-- Michael

I really enjoyed this study by the Heritage Foundation. In addition to the facts below, research bears out that girls who are involved in church with their fathers are more likely to report a close and happy relationship with Daddy as adults.

As the father of three little girls, that really speaks to me. I think I will be early to church tomorrow.

Among other things, the article states:

While the public and biologists are enjoying the rare opportunity to view sockeye salmon in Idaho’s upper Salmon River this year, an Idaho State University research professor has taken looks at Gem State sockeye salmon runs going back thousands of years.

Today’s fisheries managers are thrilled by the return of hundreds of fish to the Sawtooth Valley, but historically the run consisted of tens of thousands of sockeye, according to Idaho State University research professor Bruce Finney, Ph.D.

Researchers on Redfish Lake in process of taking sample. Photo by Jason Addison. Photos provided by Mark Shapley.

Some years there are only single-digit or zero returns of the sockeye. The largest number to return to central Idaho in a year since 1985, when biologists starting counting the runs, was 257 sockeye in 2000. Since 1985, just 352 wild and hatchery-origin sockeye have returned to the Redfish Lake area. Redfish Lake is named for sockeye, which turn a reddish color when they spawn.

While this relatively strong run is encouraging to those who want to save the fish, this year’s run is a small fraction of the size of sockeye runs that historically returned to spawn in the lakes of the upper Sawtooth Valley, including Redfish, Petit and Alturas Lakes. According to Finney from 25,000 to 40,000 sockeye historically spawned annually in Redfish Lake alone prior to the 1900s.

Scientists using the equipment on the deck of one of the drilling boats. Photo by Dave Gilbert.

Finney has developed a technique using mass spectrometers to reconstruct the salmon runs in the past. Salmon have a signature type of nitrogen, recorded by nitrogen isotopes, which scientists can use to positively identify as originating from the salmon.  When the salmon die and they decompose they release nitrogen, which is in turn taken in by algae that end up in lake sediments. High salmon runs correspond to higher concentrations of these nitrogen deposits; lower concentrations of nitrogen in deposits represent smaller runs. The sediments on lake bottoms can be dated using radiocarbon dating, an accurate method for dating materials and by identifying ash layers from known volcanic events.

So far, Finney and his colleagues have studied core samples from some of the larger lakes in the upper Sawtooth Valley, including Redfish Lake, dating back about 2,000 years.

Drilling rig on Petit Lake. Photo taken by Jason Addison.

“The most dramatic decline in salmon runs occurred when the Sunbeam Dam was built,” Finney said. “Its creation just overwhelms any naturally occurring fluctuations that occurred previously.”

The creation of the Sunbeam Dam shows how Finney’s technique can be used to help confirm other data about Pacific salmon runs that has been collected in the last 100 to 150 years. However, his data can also be used to help create a picture of what runs were like prior to modernization in the New World, when commercial fishing increased, rivers were dammed and there were other numerous large-scale factors that potentially altered salmon runs.

The information Finney collects about pre-industrial age salmon runs may be of even more use. Based on data Finney collected while doing a similar study in Alaska, fishery managers in one area changed their management goals based on historical salmon runs from prior to when fishery records were kept. This is one example of the large number of ways that Finney’s research is applicable to current management.

In completing his studies on various lakes from Alaska to the Pacific Northwest, analyzing runs that have occurred as far back as 10,000 years, Finney has confirmed that salmon population fluctuations occurred regularly in response to naturally occurring climatic events. This is also useful information because it can give managers a framework about what happens to fish runs in a particular area in response to a warming or cooling trend. That information could potentially be used by current fisheries managers to develop harvest guidelines for particular fisheries.

Finney is involved in a major research project with researchers from three other universities to synthesize all the results from lake core sample studies that have been obtain in Alaska, British Columbia, Yukon Territories and in the Pacific Northwest. The results of that study could help researchers build a sweeping view of salmon run patterns occurring over a larger time and geographical scale.

Idaho State University received more than $1.4 million in grants in a one-week period in July for five different research projects.

A former Idaho State University faculty leader who had served the university for many years sent me some follow-up emails regarding my blog entry: "Mysterious letter calls for the dismissal of Robert Wharton," found at:

http://www.pocatelloshops.c...

The professor referred to ISU faculty being "targeted by the ISU administration’s innuendo" then went on to say that "all the people who were targeted have become remarkably successful" and continued:

"John Kijinski as Dean is doing quite well at SUNY Fredonia. John Knox will soon begin as Dean at Mankato State. Mark Salisbury, whom ISU persecuted for over a year, has won regional and national awards at U of Iowa. Ed Nuhfer is Director of Faculty Development and Professor of Geoscience at California State University Channel Islands. Ed has been instrumental in securing three grants while being well supported to deliver academic workshops twice a month. Linda Deck who made the Idaho Museum a major cultural centerpiece of SE Idaho and her husband Ralph, who brought in over a $million in grants; they are both are at Los Alamos. One of ISU’s top researchers, Rob Van Kirk, has been snatched up this year by the Cal State system at the Humboldt campus. There are more—I know." 

The individual suggested that "it might make a good article to interview all of the people who left after being harassed and see what these people are now doing and the positive things that they are accomplishing now," then added: "when I popped open your old note, I was struck by just how much a year changes things. Thought I’d share the thought! ...".

********

Ken Bain, author of a best-selling book on college teaching about former ISU history professor Bradley Simpson, entitled What the Best College Teachers Do, wrote in an email: 

“By the way ... Bradley Simpson is headed to Princeton. With his new book coming out, he got offers from Princeton, Northwestern, Stanford, and I think maybe Chicago--but I'm not sure on the latter.  The book, Economists with Guns, promises to be one of the most important works in diplomatic history to emerge in a long time...".

One of my former ISU faculty sources said: "Brad was a truly nice person who cared more about progressive teaching and students than nearly anyone there. He was under-appreciated by some locals, and many colleagues were sorry to see him leave.

Of course, when he got into an environment that was better, he could reach his potential...and as Paul Harvey said...”now here’s the rest of the story...”."

Much more information is to come ...

-- Michael