Brickbats Archives

A police officer in a neon vest acts as a crossing guard, helping school children cross the street safely. | Juliu Ragnar | Dreamstime.com

Police in Schools

Brickbat: No Bad Boys

Charles Oliver | 10.31.2025 4:00 AM

A doctor in her office speaks with a woman during a consultation. | Roman Kosolapov | Dreamstime.com

Social Security

Brickbat: Declared Dead

Charles Oliver | 10.30.2025 4:00 AM

A police officer prepares to administer a breathalyzer to a woman sitting in the driver's seat of her car. | Chernetskaya | Dreamstime.com

Brickbat: Walk This Way

Charles Oliver | 10.29.2025 4:00 AM

Two men in business suits shake hands, while one places cash in the other's jacket pocket. | Zestmarina | Dreamstime.com

Brickbat: Golden Goodbye

Charles Oliver | 10.28.2025 4:00 AM

A woman shoplifts from a grocery store, stuffing an item into her purse. | Andrey Popov | Dreamstime.com

Brickbat: Sins of the Father

Charles Oliver | 10.27.2025 4:00 AM

Close-up of a man's hand knocking on a door. | Rangizzz | Dreamstime.com

Brickbat: Officer Unfriendly

Charles Oliver | 10.24.2025 4:00 AM

A young male police officer shrugs, with a confused expression on his face. | Aaron Amat | Dreamstime.com

Brickbat: Sorry, Not Sorry

Charles Oliver | 10.23.2025 4:00 AM

Two businessmen pass a stack of 0 bills. | James Group Studios, Inc. | Dreamstime.com

Brickbat: Prior Experience

Charles Oliver | 10.22.2025 4:00 AM

A collection of numbered bingo balls. | Marlene Degrood | Dreamstime.com

Brickbat: B-I-N-G-O

Charles Oliver | 10.21.2025 4:00 AM

Chicago Police Department badge decal on the back of a police SUV. | Jonathan Weiss | Dreamstime.com

Brickbat: Badge of Betrayal

Charles Oliver | 10.20.2025 4:00 AM

A man in U.S. Army fatigues happily holds up a handful of American money. | Elswarro | Dreamstime.com

Brickbat: Misplaced Trust

Charles Oliver | 10.17.2025 4:00 AM

bb1 | Illustration: Peter Bagge

Brickbats: November 2025

News of politicians, police, and bureaucrats behaving badly from around the world

Charles Oliver and Peter Bagge | 10.16.2025 6:00 AM

A man uses a laptop. A floating WiFi symbol with a circle and a line through it signifies an inability to connect to the internet. | Parin Kiratiatthakun | Dreamstime.com

Brickbat: Disconnected

Charles Oliver | 10.16.2025 4:00 AM

A doctor holds a clipboard by an I.V. pole. | Kanokwan Sangmontian | Dreamstime.com

Brickbat: Starved in Plain Sight

Charles Oliver | 10.15.2025 4:00 AM

A police car's blue lights blaring during a chase. | Fedecandoniphoto | Dreamstime.com

Brickbat: Pinned Blame

Charles Oliver | 10.14.2025 4:00 AM

An older woman holds up a set of keys. | Fizkes | Dreamstime.com

Brickbat: Tough Luck, Grandma

Charles Oliver | 10.13.2025 4:00 AM

Lady Justice statue, holding scales, with a blindfold over her eyes. | Piatroderbrado | Dreamstime.com

Brickbat: Justice Delayed

Charles Oliver | 10.10.2025 4:00 AM

A yellow school bus or van. | Mariebm56 | Dreamstime.com

Brickbat: Wrong Way

Charles Oliver | 10.9.2025 4:00 AM

Chicago Police Department vehicle, with a wooden barrier that says "Police Line - Do Not Cross" in the foreground. | Roberto Galan | Dreamstime.com

Brickbat: The Chicago Code

Charles Oliver | 10.8.2025 4:00 AM

A young woman with a backpack over one shoulder holds her nose, as if she smells something bad. | Aaron Amat | Dreamstime.com

Brickbat: Running Afoul of the Law

Charles Oliver | 10.7.2025 4:00 AM

A policeman sits, with his hat on the desk, happily typing on a computer. | Arne9001 | Dreamstime.com

Brickbat: Seoul Snooping

Charles Oliver | 10.6.2025 4:00 AM

Schoolchildren in a classroom talk as if working on a group project. | Monkey Business Images | Dreamstime.com

Brickbat: Pay for the Privilege

Charles Oliver | 10.3.2025 4:00 AM

Close-up on the face of an ostrich, in a Vancouver zoo. | Makoto Hasegawa | Dreamstime.com

Brickbat: Head in the Sand

Charles Oliver | 10.2.2025 4:00 AM

A man mows grass on a zero turn riding lawn mower, with his back to the camera. | Eti Swinford | Dreamstime.com

Government employees

Brickbat: Family Discount

Charles Oliver | 10.1.2025 4:00 AM

A young woman holds a U.K. flag in one hand while using the other to cover her mouth. | Aaron Amat | Dreamstime.com

Brickbat: Petty Tyrants

Charles Oliver | 9.30.2025 4:00 AM

A doctor wearing scrubs and medical gloves holds up a pair of handcuffs. | Andrey Zhuravlev | Dreamstime.com

Brickbat: Prison Medicine

Charles Oliver | 9.29.2025 4:00 AM

A Riverside County Sheriff's patrol SUV. | Andreistanescu | Dreamstime.com

Brickbat: Love Triangle

Charles Oliver | 9.26.2025 4:00 AM

A man's hand holds a cell phone in a field. The phone's screen says "No Service," with a grey WiFi symbol. | Maskarad | Dreamstime.com

Brickbat: No Bars

Charles Oliver | 9.25.2025 4:00 AM

A stack of cash, with a U.S. bill on top, dispensed out of an ATM. | Bigapplestock | Dreamstime.com

Brickbat: Money for Nothing

Charles Oliver | 9.24.2025 4:00 AM

bb3 | Illustration: Peter Bagge

Brickbats: October 2025

News of politicians, police, and bureaucrats behaving badly from around the world

Charles Oliver and Peter Bagge | 9.23.2025 6:00 AM

A black female police officer knocks on a residential storm door while a white male officer stands behind her. They both wear uniforms and body armor. | Yuri Arcurs | Dreamstime.com

Brickbat: Who's There?

Charles Oliver | 9.23.2025 4:00 AM

A man's hands open an envelope with a paycheck inside. | Andrey Popov | Dreamstime.com

Brickbat: Checks in the Mail

Charles Oliver | 9.22.2025 4:00 AM

A house with multiple cameras and sensors outside the front door. | Steveheap | Dreamstime.com

Brickbat: Look Away

Charles Oliver | 9.19.2025 4:00 AM

A bronze statute of a gorilla, looking pensive, in bushes. | Underworld | Dreamstime.com

Property Rights

Brickbat: Hail, Caesar

Charles Oliver | 9.18.2025 4:00 AM

A sunflower in the front yard of a residential house. | Galina Barskaya | Dreamstime.com

Local Government

Brickbat: Sunflower Showdown

Charles Oliver | 9.17.2025 4:00 AM

A rabbit peeks out of a magician's hat. | Duncan Noakes | Dreamstime.com

Brickbat: For My Next Trick

Charles Oliver | 9.16.2025 4:00 AM

The flag of Ireland (with green, white, and orange stripes) flies atop a flagpole against a blue sky. | Diego Barbieri | Dreamstime.com

Brickbat: Stoking Eire

Charles Oliver | 9.15.2025 4:00 AM

A young couple with suitcases arrives at a beach vacation home. | Piksel | Dreamstime.com

Brickbat: No Short Trips

Charles Oliver | 9.12.2025 4:00 AM

A facial recognition program analyzes a man's face. | Vchalup | Dreamstime.com

Facial Recognition

Brickbat: Apparently, the Camera Does Lie

Charles Oliver | 9.11.2025 4:00 AM

Jay Leno drives a classic car on the streets of Los Angeles. | gotpap/starmaxinc.com/Newscom

Brickbat: Leno's Loss

Charles Oliver | 9.10.2025 4:00 AM

Sticks of sidewalk chalk piled up on the concrete. | Christinlola | Dreamstime.com

Brickbat: Impermanent Record

Charles Oliver | 9.9.2025 4:00 AM

An open water area of a national park. | William Wise | Dreamstime.com

Brickbat: Out of the Woods

Charles Oliver | 9.8.2025 4:00 AM

A man in a business suit stuffs cash into his jacket pocket. | Gstockstudio1 | Dreamstime.com

Brickbat: No Paper Trail

Charles Oliver | 9.5.2025 4:00 AM

A young woman sits at a desk scanning packages at a post office. | Rlat | Dreamstime.com

Brickbat: Post Fraud

Charles Oliver | 9.4.2025 4:00 AM

A "No vaping" road sign, showing a diagram of an e-cigarette with a circle and line through it | Bakerjarvis | Dreamstime.com

Brickbat: Up in Smoke

Charles Oliver | 9.3.2025 4:00 AM

Public restroom doors with male and female icons. | Marozhkastudio | Dreamstime.com

Brickbat: Can't You Knock?

Charles Oliver | 9.2.2025 4:00 AM

A prison guard patrols outside a cell occupied by a male inmate in an orange jumpsuit. | Anna Kosolapova | Dreamstime.com

Brickbat: Hard Time

Charles Oliver | 9.1.2025 4:00 AM

A woman checks the mail from her mailbox in an apartment building. | Cupertino10 | Dreamstime.com

Brickbat: Checks in the Mail

Charles Oliver | 8.29.2025 4:00 AM

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