The first of two prints formerly thought to be anti-Jackson satires, but actually dealing with the sensational trial of Methodist minister Ephraim K. Avery in May 1833 for the murder of Sarah Maria Cornell. (See also “A Minister Extraordinary…,” no. 1833-14). Miss Cornell, a young and pregnant factory girl, was beaten and strangled, and left tied to a post on a remote Massachusetts farm in December 1832. Avery was tried in May 1833 and despite considerable evidence against him (reported at length in the press) was acquitted on June 5. The artist’s portrayal here appears to be based on published testimony from the trial. Avery, wearing green spectacles, is shown in the act of tying the young woman by the neck to a post before a haystack. Her shoes and kerchief lie on the ground at left, Avery’s walking stick on the ground at right. An owl (the crime occurred at night) perches on one of the posts, and on and about the hut are demons, who speak: “Do you see what is going on here.” “I never sleep on such occasions.” “How will this be managed if it should go to a jury.” “A Jury ye young fools is nothing. what’s to be done with Public Opinion.”
Uh Oh. Somebody at the Tim Pawlenty campaign is going to be getting a lump of coal for Christmas. The link to “Support Tim Pawlenty’s Freedom First PAC” in the Presidential hopeful’s Christmas card/fund-raising email, is broke. The code behind the link is “http:// support tim pawlenty’s freedom first pac paid for by freedom first pac. not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee. www.timpawlenty.com /” Whoopsie! Good thing the Donate Now button below it works.
This brings us to the second question: Is Mary Photoshopped in this Christmas photo? Because it really looks like Mary is Photoshopped in this photo. (Did Pawlenty go “to the cloud?“)
Finally, please note that while the fine print at the bottom of the card may be mistaken as the spirit of Christmas, it is actually a disclaimer about how the Freedom First PAC paid for the Pawlenty family’s Christmas card. And what says protecting the spirit of the holiday from the War on Christmas more than “$5,000 maximum contribution per calendar year is not tax deductible for federal income tax purposes?”
Governor elect Walker, before you take office, I suggest you take a look and see how the last Republican governor of the great state of Wisconsin won numerous reelection campaigns.
Mr. Walker, will you be willing to get blotto and go in front of tens of thousands of other drunks and declare a state Packer day? You better, because that’s 110,000 votes right there.
The November 29 school shooting incident in northern Wisconsin, at time of publication America’s latest, is being spun as a success of the post-Columbine system. A trained school staff and law enforcement levelheadedly defused a heavily armed student prepared to do the worst. But when police finally responded to the 911 call, more than two hours had passed since gunshots were fired. These gunshots were heard by many—although, apparently, not the on-duty police officer stationed at the school…