Klox and Katz Ink

The Political Pundit
By Eric Suhem
At the journalism award dinner in Washington D.C., Morton was honored for his
accomplishments. “As a member of the Fourth Estate, I take my responsibility as a
journalism professional seriously. It is a privilege to play a role in the shaping of public
opinion, as we cannot underestimate the importance of a well-informed citizenry.”
Clutching his journalism award coffee mug, Morton pontificated on such subjects as the
roles of televised and printed news in society, the fracturing impact of the Internet on
traditional news sources, and the blurred line between news & entertainment. He went on
and on, as those in the room stared into their phones.
Morton became a commentator on the role of media in politics, sparring it out with those
on the other side of the political fence in televised roundtables. He established himself as
a fixture in the world of political punditry, and constantly provided opinions. On most
televised appearances, Morton was indignant about what the other critics had said about
what he’d said, and vice-versa. He began to be a powerful force on social media, tweeting
comments on the reactions to his previous observations, offering essential input to the
conversation on the public square. Morton knew that it was necessary for him to respond
to the tweets and posts, as a high volume of amplified social media interaction would
guarantee a higher amount of interest in his remarks.
One day, on his way to a power lunch, Morton walked by a laundromat, where he saw his
brother Les inside, painting a watercolor of a clothes dryer. Les was an assistant at the
laundromat, who on his free time created abstract paintings of washers, dryers, rolling
wire clothes baskets, and other clothes-cleaning items. “You know, Les, it’s important to
make a difference, to do something for which you’ll be remembered,” said Morton,
feeling the familiar pang of disappointment in Les’ life choices. Les just smiled, and
continued painting.
The owner of the laundromat was happy to let Les display his paintings on the walls, near
the washers and dryers. Les enjoyed creating acrylic paintings of detergent, and his
current interest was to focus on aspects of Tide, with ideas for a future project about
Clorox bleach. One day, Les decided that he liked the angle of the sunlight at the
laundromat. “I’m becoming intrigued by the play of light and shadow on Dryer #3,” said
Les to one of the laundromat’s customers, who shrugged and continued folding her
clothes. Les decided to embark on a new art project focusing on Dryer #3.
At family gatherings, Morton regaled his kin with tales of Beltway intrigue, replete with
double-crosses, backstabs, and gossip. When asked how things were going at the
laundromat, Les said that they may be getting 2 new dryers, and that he planned to branch