shotbanner.jpeg

September 21, 2005

But Don't Dare Call Them Unpatriotic

Joe from Brooklyn Park wrote to (among a few other local bloggers) the Fraters and I regarding this cartoon from this morning's Strib.

Joe:

Regarding the cartoon on the Strib editorial page yesterday that showed Bush defending the military response to Katrina - the closing balloon had Bush saying: "There are more than enough troops to screw up both places" - the other being Iraq.

This is not only beyond insulting to the troops, but just plain ignorant. If anyone transitions well from providing humanitarian aid to killing bad guys with utter lethality, it's the U.S. military

Well, that'd imply that the cartoonist - a fellow from the Newark Star-Ledger whose name I cannot break through the ennui to look up again - cared about little things like distinctions and accuracy when it came to his "art".

Joe went on to explain the conundrum facing the US military worldwide:

I still recall Marine Commandant Krulak's comments about fictitious three-block city that he envisioned. In one block, his Marines had to kill bad guys; in the next block they had to care for refugees; in the third block they had to separate warring factions with a centuries-old hatred for one another. And they had to do all equally well.
And our military has had to, for a couple of generations, now. Steven Ambrose once noted that throughout world history, a squad of teenagers with weapons - whether they were hoplites, legionairies, knight's retainers, bashi-bazouks, vikings, redcoats billyanks, or Russian, German or Japanese soldiers - was always something the innocent bystanders had to fear; rapine and pillage travelled with them. The US soldier has always been the exception, never more so than today, when the "bystander" might be a thug with an IED. Many of the world's armies throughout history would have solved that problem by mowing down the whole crowd to get to the muj and avoid getting hurt.

But again, no matter. It's not about history to the cartoonist. Iraq, goes the conventional wisdumb, is a quagmire. So is New Orleans. What do they have in common? Chimpy McBushiitlerburton!

Saint has the definitive response so far:

Sure, those Marines have their challenges. But have they ever tried to incorporate hoary liberal clichés into little cartoons four times a week for the amusement of aging hippies and radical wannabes? Didn't think so! Until they do, they can just shut their cartoon chicken hawk traps!
Well, wait until the next big disaster hits Newark. Someday, when the city looks like a huge wad of refuse plopped into a swamp, and its infrastructure is falling apart and its government is a corrupt Democrat machine and...

...er, never mind.

Posted by Mitch at September 21, 2005 12:11 PM | TrackBack
Comments

Let them rant and whine. Gratuitous attacks on the current administration do not advance the liberal cause, but rather reflects their moral repugnance. A little radical dissent and irreverent parody is comic relief, but all this piling on just softens the dirt for their shovels. Let 'em keep digging.

The longer they do the deeper they're buried.

Posted by: Eracus at September 21, 2005 11:40 AM

A thought exercise: in the next disaster, either nautre or human made, who do you want to help, moveon.org or the USMC

Posted by: billhedrick at September 21, 2005 02:36 PM

"The longer they do the deeper they're buried."

Gosh, Eracus, I am a literal-minded lefty incapable of understanding metaphor, so I can only assume that you are threatening me with death!

Hate crime! Hate Crime!

/sarcasm

Posted by: Pious Agnostic at September 22, 2005 10:47 AM

Dear God. Missed the point again. The issue is not whether or not our military is noble, welltrained, courageous, versatile, all that and more. The point is: How are they being used? They do take orders and they do all they can, but how are they being used? The line that any criticism of that issue, how the troops are being used, is unpatriotic or unmanly or pinko commie liberal lattesipping is absolutely contemptible. Of course, if you turn that line inside out, then if the troops are admittedly being used to attempt to accomplish unattainable ends or that their management has been grotesquely mismanaged, then anyone who questions the attempt is a traitor. If it weren't so totally mindless I would suspect it conceals a deep and cynical conviction that the average American is incapable of rational thought.

warm regards from bobbythehat

Posted by: bobbythehat at September 22, 2005 08:38 PM

Our local newspaper is owned by Republicans. I know this because I have lived in our little town all of my life and the family that owns the paper has been here even longer than me. However, the editorial department is run by a Democrat - also a long time resident. The editorial page carries alot more anti-Bush cartoons than pro. My guess is that cartoonists, along with most artists, actors, and musicians, are somewhat more on the "liberal" side. Also, cartoonists make their living making fun of people, so who better to make fun of than the ridiculous figure of the president. No matter who has held that office, there is always something about them that just makes you laugh and cartoonists are great at spotting the charicature in everyone.

Posted by: Teena at September 24, 2005 07:42 PM

Thanks, Mitch, for posting this cartoon. I had nearly forgotten how contemptible the Strib is and I was going to start up my Sunday subscription to the paper again for work-related reasons. Not now. Not ever.

Somehow, I miss the humor in characterizing the troops as conveyors of screw-ups on a massive scale. Maybe Teena can tell my son who spent a year doing prison guard and convoy duty in Iraq, that this cartoon is just good fun.

Posted by: American Soldier's Mom at September 25, 2005 04:31 PM

Very interesting & professional site. You done great work. betting bad credit mortgage geico prednisone mortgage calculator

Posted by: kara at May 5, 2006 06:33 AM

Clemens' funeral was a small gathering in Elmira, where his wife and daughters were already buried. But to allow his public a chance to pay their respects, his body was first taken to New York City, three stone ring settings where thousands saw it in the Presbyterian Brick Church. The viewing was open to the public, but if you had a ticket like the one at left you could be admitted first. Capital http://www.vigorindustrial.net/linkpartners/linkspage3.htm Original Principal Balance Note Rate Homeowner's Policy

Posted by: Capital at October 8, 2006 09:36 PM
Post a comment









Remember personal info?
hi