Zina Saunders

Illustrator

Zina Saunders is an award-winning illustrator whose work appears in national magazines and newspapers and whose political satires have amused or outraged her audience, depending on which side of the aisle they sit.

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WATCH: The Debt Ceiling Campfire Sing-Along [Cartoon]

Composed and performed by Grover Norquist and featuring Boehner, Cantor, and Bachmann!

—By Zina Saunders

| Mon Jul. 25, 2011 1:13 PM PDT

Editors' note: Mother Jones illustrator Zina Saunders creates editorial animations riffing on the political news and current events of the week. In this week's animation, welcome to the Camp Wee-No-Budge midsummer campfire sing-along, with Grover Nordquist strumming up a tune for those happiest of happy campers, John Boehner, Eric Cantor and Michele Bachmann. As always, that's Saunders doing the voices and the sound effects are courtesy of freesound.org. If you'd like to sing along, full lyrics to the song are posted beneath the animation. Click here for the latest on what's happening with the debt ceiling.

We are out to screw the country, there’s no doubt
We are out to screw the country, there’s no doubt
If we bring a big disaster we’ll get elected so much faster
And our enemy Obama will be out.

There is nothing we wont do to get our way
There is nothing we wont do to get our way
We are betting a depression, will win us the next election
And our corporate cronies promise they will pay!

If you lose your job and house who gives a damn
If you lose your job and house who gives a damn
We’re hoping that it makes you madder and you’ll vote out Ol' Obamer
And we’ll be on top to push the latest scam

We’ll protect our corporate Masters, come what may
We’ll protect our corporate Masters, come what may
We’ll keep their tax breaks bulging cause our mission is indulging
All our corporate buddies, who we must obey

Lower taxes is our permanent refrain
Lower taxes is our permanent refrain
We don’t care who might get hurted just as long as we have skirted
Any taxes our contributors disdain.

So sink the economy is what we say
So sink the economy is what we say
The more destruction that we wreak on all the poor and sick and weak
The more we think we’ll win the next election day.

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WATCH: Drug Warning Labels—Who Needs 'Em? [Cartoon]

Not Americans—at least according to Clarence Thomas and the conservative majority on the Supreme Court.

—By Zina Saunders

| Tue Jul. 5, 2011 12:56 PM PDT

Editors' note: Mother Jones illustrator Zina Saunders creates editorial animations riffing on the political news and current events of the week. This week's animation focuses on the Supreme Court's recent ruling on generic-drug warnings. Last month, in a 5-4 decision written by Justice Clarence Thomas, the conservative majority on the court ruled that the manufacturers of generic drugs cannot be sued for failing to update drug warning labels to reflect newly discovered dangers and side effects. (Name-brand drug manufacturers are liable for failing to update warnings and can be held accountable for it in court).

Justice Sonia Sotomayor, writing for the dissenters, said, "As a result of today's decision, whether a consumer harmed by inadequate warnings can obtain relief turns solely on the happenstance of whether her pharmacist filled her prescription with a brand-name or generic drug."

WATCH: The Women of Wal-Mart Speak Up [Cartoon]

—By Zina Saunders

| Tue Jun. 28, 2011 3:00 AM PDT

Mother Jones illustrator Zina Saunders creates editorial animations riffing on the political news and current events of the week. This week's animation checks in on the women in the class action Dukes v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc (PDF) after their case was thrown out by the Supreme Court. Read some of their stories of sex discrimination here. As always, that's Saunders doing the voiceover. —The Editors

WATCH: The Candidate Cometh [Cartoon]

A hymn for Michele Bachmann from the evangelical right.

—By Zina Saunders

| Tue Jun. 21, 2011 1:43 PM PDT

Mother Jones illustrator Zina Saunders creates editorial animations riffing on the political news and current events of the week. This week's animation features the answer to the religious right's prayers: Michele Bachmann and her army of adherents. Scroll down for the full lyrics to the hymn. As always, Saunders wrote and performed the song. —The Editors

Here we cringe in terror of
The darkness that began
Two years ago when Satan’s army
Marched across our land

Our nation has a sacred mission,
Jesus tells us so,
No commie pinko socialist
Should ever run the show

"Repent!" we cried, "You blasphemer!
Your plan is plain to see
You want to make our kiddies gay
And turn us muslim-y!"

We fought him in state houses
We fought him on the Hill
We cried and lied and kicked our feet
About his healthcare bill

And so we here beseech you, Lord,
To save us from this fate
Our nation should be Christian-y
And not the devil's state

O look! What doth approacheth!
A vision fierce and bright!
A smile so big and bite-y,
So itchy for a fight!

She it is will leads us!
She's Jesus-y, alright!
It’s Bachmann to the rescue,
All Christian-y and bright.

WATCH: Superbugs and the Factory Farms That Create Them [Cartoon]

—By Zina Saunders

| Mon Jun. 13, 2011 3:51 PM PDT

Mother Jones illustrator Zina Saunders creates editorial animations riffing on the political news and current events of the week. In this week's animation, Saunders heads to the factory farm, where Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.) has introduced an amendement in the house that would make it impossible for the FDA to restrict the use of antibiotics in livestock. As always, that's Saunders performing the voiceover. Sound effects are from freesound.org. —The Editors