My first cartoon (top left) ran Nov. 5, 1989. Note the stiff drawing style and feeble attempt at humor. At that time Sheriff John Duffy was taking heat for jetting off to other cities to work consultation jobs.

The cartoon top right (1990) was drawn in response to a proposal pitched to the Oceanside City Council. The idea was to paint house numbers on streets and buildings to help police helicopter pilots navigate the city.

In 1993, conservatives on the Vista school board attempted to introduce material to the high school curriculum that presented scientific criticism of evolutionary theory. Darwinists from all over the country assailed the school board and fought tooth and nail to keep Vista (and some Oceanside) students fed traditional evolutionary creed.

After having read a half dozen books and numerous articles critical of evolutionary dogma, I drew this cartoon, middle left.

The Gatekeeper cartoon (middle right) ran in 1996 in response to President Clinton's efforts to secure the Mexican border. The subject of illegal immigration came up time and time again over the last decade and a half and I drew a ton of cartoons supporting the simple idea that American immigration laws should simply be observed. (Note: Supporting the law doesn't necessarily make one a racist.)

The cartoon at the bottom left, published in 1998, got a lot of favorable reviews from readers on the Right. Yeah, I lean to the Right. I confess to being conservative - usually. Is that such a crime?

If I were to guess, I'd say that 5 percent of editorial cartoonists working full time at daily newspapers today are conservative; 10 percent haven't made up their minds yet and 85 percent lean to the left. Liberal cartoonists are a dime a dozen. You can quote me on that.

The Dick Lyon cartoon (1999), bottom right, I like mainly because it's visually interesting. Lyon was Oceanside's mayor in the late '90s. I'm sorry but I couldn't resist drawing Lyon as a lion during his reign as king of the Oceanside jungle. Oceanside politics seemed always so volatile in the '90s. Lately, however, everyone over there in City Hall has been behaving almost civilly - what's up with that?

- Mark Thornhill