Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for February 21, 2012

I actually feel for her.

I doubly feel sorry for Gram. Stuck with hyperemotional Alex and outside during a blizzard.

“No, I don’t want 2 chill w you 4 rest of your life”? or

“No, I’m not assuming you’re dead by 2morrow”?

Either way, it’s Gram who’s doing the chilling.

Or “no, I just want 2 live in sin with u indefinitely”?

Leo’s smart. She’s too insecure.

This is why her plan to tell him was better than asking him.

Hmm, maybe Alex is a prego.

You Win!!!The strip was always in the comics section until Watergate, and the infamous “Guilty, Guilty Guilty” strip. That was when many papers moved it to the editorial page.

“no” – the complete sentence.

When anyone says “trust me” it’s a message to run away, fast. It is often said after “the check’s in the mail” or “I would never…”.

Yes, and Mallard Fillmore was just plain mean. Any liberal woman was drawn as overweight and homely, and other cheap shots like that.

You want privacy, Alex? Then get your narcissistic butt out of the car and into the blizzard.

People who think there is right and left amuse me. It is contrived as baseball teams. There is the party of take by force. One branch robs the right pocket one the left.

It’s interesting to think . . . how “far we’ve we’ve come” . . . that under the provisions of the Patriot Act and the recent Defense Authorization, everything the Nixon administration did in 1968-1974 would today be perfectly legal.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel had its readers vote on the popularity of its comics, and subsequently threw out Doonesbury and Non Sequitur. Also MKE’s classical mujsic station went bye-bye, then its jazz station. Re: Classical, thank goodness for Green Bay’s WPNE, which is close enough to my daughter’s little village upstate for us to hear (usually).

Now that he said “NO” to your proposal, how about asking him to come out and get you out of the snowdrift? I bet Grams is rethinking about hanging out with Alex!

I got a bad feeling when Alex was planning the wedding and Leo was recording that girl doing the political ads. Alex is not garnering sympathy with her attitude.

Making Grandma stand out in the blizzard so you can have a private conversation…talk about self-absorbed.

Wouldn’t you think she would maybe tell him that they’re snowbound in their car, and will likely die soon if not rescued?

My neighbor across the way takes his phone calls out into the street for “privacy”. I’m keeping notes. He should be willing to help me retire early, if he wants the “private” information I have been forced to overhear to stay private.

Alex needs to freeze to death. That would improve this comic greatly.

Good decision, Leo, but you could have been gentler.

If a diplomat says “Yes”, he means “Maybe.”If a diplomat says “Maybe”, he means “No.”If a diplomat says “No”, he’s no diplomat.

But Alex deserves half the blame, for proposing by text. Not a lot of room for nuance in the medium.

Of course, sometimes “No” means “Not yet”, but again that would necessitate a face-to-face talk. Don’t get me wrong, I like Alex and I like Leo, but I like them separately. I think they’re a bad match, at least to the extent that Alex shouldn’t assume that present happiness is a guarantee of future compatibility (it never is, but some warning signs are stronger than others). They’d both be better off with someone else.

The practical side of me knew the answer was “no” but the romantic side wanted a YES.

cheers Way to go, Leo – that’s a downright smart move. Alex will bring you nothing but grief down the road.

we also had this strip moved, but about 2 years ago, its back in the comics. they had the good sense to move judge parker and cathy to the classifieds! the oregonian in case anyone cares!

It’s times like this that cause people to join the French Foreign Legion, they never ask questions.

Could be Leo who is insecure. Or maybe he wants a bit of ceremony in a proposal, the old romantic….

NO means nitric oxide, a corrosive gas.

Is it possible that Leo is trying to say “No problem” but just couldn’t get it all out fast enough?

eggman may have something, there. Keep us hanging, Garry.

I feel for you and Gokie5 (no classical or jazz? Shudder!). However, I recall Mallard Fillmore being fairly liberal back in the day. I usually agreed with his views when I caught it on occasion. Over the last few years,not so much. The artist was described in one bio as a lifelong conservative,which I find hard to believe.

Alex could step out of the car for privacy; no one would happen by.

Alex’s working model is clearly: “You’re not me, therefore you’re irrelevant.”

Why do I not care what happens to her?

Maybe Leo has met J.J. If I met J.J., I’d tell Alex “no” too.

Thanks for commiserative comments. I’m in good old St. Petersburg now, where there’s a 24-hr. classical station in Sarasota that we on the south side of St. Pete can hear pretty well (luckily, I’m on the south side). My theory about the strip is that Leo is smitten with Ms. Deep Voice. We’ll see.

DT Pi would tell us how to say “no” in Greek and Aramaic, if he was here. I took you up on your comment last week, and I am now posting on arcamax.com/thefunnies/doonesbury

Anyone who takes a phone call should step outside for privacy not the other people in the car or room. And that goes for stores and restaurants too.