Drawing on misery

War. Poverty. Inequality. In the annals of advocacy journalism or, indeed, human history, could there be a more intractable triad of stubborn antagonists? Steve Sack evokes seasonal ghoulishness as he lends context to Uncle Sam’s tangled position in Afghanistan. Steve Breen’s poignant cartoon balloons overflow with sadness. And Pat Oliphant’s presidential protestations fall hard in the Big Easy. War, poverty, inequality -- we all pay the price. Check, please.

-- Joel Pett