Cartoon draws howls of protest from Joint Chiefs

[solypsist]

http://www.mediainfo.com/eandp/news/..._id=1001955937
http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/stor...30&p=y7y597536

A Tom Toles editorial cartoon published in The Washington Post on Monday and on its Web site has drawn a very rare and very strong protest letter to the editors from all six members of The Joint Chiefs of Staff, E&P has learned.

The letter, not yet published by the Post, charges that the six military leaders “believe you and Mr. Toles have done a disservice to your readers and your paper’s reputation by using such a callous depiction of those who have volunteered to defend this nation, and as a result, have suffered traumatic and life-altering wounds. … As the Joint Chiefs, it is rare that we all put our hand to one letter, but we cannot let this reprehensible cartoon go unanswered.”

A Pentagon spokeswoman confirmed the contents of the letter to E&P late this afternoon. That the newspaper had received such a letter was first reported on the popular AmericaBlog site, which is run by John Aravosis, this afternoon.

The spokeswoman said a letter from all six joint chiefs to anyone, let alone a newspaper, is rare, but the cartoon so offended them, they wanted to let their feelings be known. “It was expressing their disappointment with the paper and outrage at using that image to make a political point,” said Lt. Col. Diane Battaglia. “That is a rare occurrence, but the level of inappropriateness prompted a response of unanimous support.”



link to the toon in question do not click if do not want to risk being offended.

[Proletariat]

I'm going to go burn something down.

[InsaneApache]

I'll eat a bacon butty.

[GoreBag]

You guys have a chief of joints?!

I smirked at the cartoon. Reminded me of the George Carlin skit about shell-shock. In any case, the Doob Lords are being pansies, if you ask me. Let the mang draw haughty cartoons. Who cares?

[Byzantine Prince]

Uh oh, DA better watch out, those silly cartoons he made with Gawain and his pet PanzerJager might come back to haunt him.

[Devastatin Dave]

Very tastless, but I won't riot or behead anyone for it.

[Crazed Rabbit]

Tasteless cartoon, and I think it's unfair to classify the JCS letter as a 'howl'.

Still, I'm not going to go burn anything down, or threaten death to those who make cartoons the JCS doesn't like.

Crazed Rabbit

[Slyspy]

It got a laugh out of me. Because, do you see, it is a joke about the US army and government use thereof, not about US soldiers. Please get off of your high horses. Letting the military have an infuenece on the free press is not advised.

[Lemur]

This whole thing with people getting mortally offended by cartoons is turning into a trend. Color me nervous.

[Tachikaze]

It got a laugh out of me. Because, do you see, it is a joke about the US army and government use thereof, not about US soldiers. Please get off of your high horses. Letting the military have an infuenece on the free press is not advised.

I agree with this.

[Gawain of Orkeny]

Using the suffering of our wounded veterans to make a joke is not funny. Its tasteless.

[rory_20_uk]

I think it makes a very important point in a very simple eloquent manner. Soldiers are dying and as far as I am aware are being all but ignored.

Morale of the troops is important, but is bound to be low in a situation that few armies are used to - a sort of semi war where fighting back only makes things worse. One cartoon is not going to affect morale as much as being stuck out there.

The Government has already marginalised the wounded and suffering as far as they are able to via their own channels, now it appears they are trying to stifle all others that remain.

[Major Robert Dump]

I've seen worse. It's tacky, yes, but if we weren't in a war it would go unnoticed. But if you guys want to riot, I'll go along because tear gas gets me high.

[Proletariat]

The Government has already marginalised the wounded and suffering as far as they are able to via their own channels, now it appears they are trying to stifle all others that remain.

What the hell are you talking about? How are the wounded being 'marginalised'?

[rory_20_uk]

In the UK are they mentioned in the slightest? No, not at all. They are of "marginal" interest to the media and hence are being "marginalised". Erm, did I wizz through that too fast?

[Proletariat]

Mentioned, shmentioned. I don't know how it's handled in England, but I work in the largest amputee clinic in the US and routinely fit patients with myoelectric prosthetics that can sometimes cost around 40,000 usd and it's all paid for by the Government. In this clinic at Walter Reed, patients are daily visited by folks like Tom Hanks, Snoop Dog, Kelsey Grammar, Tom Brady, etc.

Maybe they're being 'marginalised' in England, but this cartoon was about the US, and the soldiers are certainly not being forgotten about or ignored here.

[Kralizec]

What do you expect, it's a political cartoon. A cartoon can be a brilliant form of criticism, or it can be a complete crock.

This one wasn't even funny, IMO.

[Xiahou]

The Government has already marginalised the wounded and suffering as far as they are able to via their own channels, now it appears they are trying to stifle all others that remain.

In the UK are they mentioned in the slightest? No, not at all. They are of "marginal" interest to the media and hence are being "marginalised". Erm, did I wizz through that too fast?

So, the government is marginalizing the wounded because the media doesnt report on them, but now the government is trying to marginalize the remaining channels by stifling the media..... Makes sense to me.

[Adrian II]

Maybe they're being 'marginalised' in England, but this cartoon was about the US, and the soldiers are certainly not being forgotten about or ignored here.

I hear you, you have told us before about your personal involvement, and I think the word 'marginalised' was a most unlucky choice of our friend. However, in the UK the government and the media are not exactly promoting any public interest in the wounded. I don't know what is cause and what is effect, but the observation is on the mark for the UK. Same thing happened to the British wounded and traumatised after the Falklands War.

BTW Does anybody ever think twice about what a cartoon might actually be about? The (in)famous Mohammed with the explosive turban for instance. Is that a straight-forward drawing of Mohammed, in which the essence of his Prophecy is reduced to the gratuitous use of violence? Or is it just a cartoon of the sort of Mohammed adored by terrorist groups and hence an indictment of their interpretation of the Prophet?

The same sort of question can be asked about the Washpost cartoon. Is it making fun of the wounded? I don't think so. The crippled soldier in the bed is a symbol of the crippled state of U.S. Army according to some reports, which makes Rumsfeld, who denies this, the real cripple in the picture. An emotional cripple if you will. Or a political one.

Of course there are other possible interpretations, but there is just no way this cartoon could be seen as making fun of (as in: at the expense of) crippled soldiers. Not even a moron will look at it and go: 'Ha, dumb cripple!'

[Proletariat]

BTW Does anybody ever think twice about what a cartoon might actually be about?

Great point, but this is just a testament to how ineffective cartoons are. When people get in these kind of uproars over a stupid cartoon, the fault lies with the biggest imbecile, who is the cartoon artist. You can't just go around drawing offensive things and then blaming the audience whenever they get upset. I agree that we're seeing idiotic over reactions to all of these cartoons recently, but let's not place 100% of the blame on the unwashed Philistines who just weren't sophisticated enough to 'get it'.

The people who write these things can sanctimoniously hide behind the notion that they're message was misconstrued and that they're being victimised, but anyone with half a brain understands the artists knew full well what they were doing and what kind of reaction they were going to get when they drew these things.

[rory_20_uk]

I agree, but then the reaction would be people rolling their eyes and saying how blatant, how tasteless etc etc it was is up to individuals, not the state apparatus.

But, although the artist ain't that good or an Oscar Wilde with rapier wit, his right to prove that he is average in almost every way is allowed in both the US and Europe.

[Reverend Joe]

Using the suffering of our wounded veterans to make a joke is not funny. Its tasteless.

The cartoon has nothing to do with "the suffering of our wounded veterans." It is a reference to Donald Rumsfeld's delusional statement about the army- that it is "battle-hardened." The wounded soldier is not supposed to be a joke- that is what is happening to our army as a whole, because it is just sitting in Iraq, slowly bleeding to death. The Joint Chiefs (and you) are just pissed because it is a good jab at Don Rumsfeld.

In the book All Quiet on the Western Front, the narrator relates a story that was told to him by a fellow soldier: in an army field hospital, a man who is missing a leg reports to a doctor who is supposed to decide what his battlefield readiness is. The doctor, without looking up, lists him as A1, saying they need as many men as they can get to the front. The soldier angrily announces that he will gladly get a wooden leg, and go straightaway to the front and get his head blown off, and get a wooden head- so then he will be able to do the doctor's job.

Now do you see the point?

Edited. Yeah, I got pissed off yesterday and said something I shouldn't have. When I get pissed off, bad things are said. Sorry.

And Dave, I really don't need you to say that for me.

[Devastatin Dave]

No, you probably don't. I swear, sometimes I wonder if you came back from Vietnam with a wooden head. You are a very, very intellegent person, Gawain, but at the same time you are blind and deaf.

Getting personal? Were you in Vietnam? Have you been in combat? Have you served in the military? I believe an apology is in order for this very tastless insult, your post Sir is below the belt.

[Gawain of Orkeny]

The wounded soldier is not supposed to be a joke-

I never said he was did I? I said

Using the suffering of our wounded veterans to make a joke is not funny. Its tasteless.

He is using the image of a wounded soldier to make his point. I find that tasteless. You are free to dissagree.

And how does he know how Rumsfeld feels?

[Papewaio]

In the book All Quiet on the Western Front, the narrator relates a story that was told to him by a fellow soldier: in an army field hospital, a man who is missing a leg reports to a doctor who is supposed to decide what his battlefield readiness is. The doctor, without looking up, lists him as A1, saying they need as many men as they can get to the front. The soldier angrily announces that he will gladly get a wooden leg, and go straightaway to the front and get his head blown off, and get a wooden head- so then he will be able to do the doctor's job.

You do realise that there have been single and double amputees who have continued to serve in a frontline capacity?

The biggest hurdle often isn't the physical but the mental relocation of what you can and can't do. The best can adapt to any situation, even one which is a disability.

[Adrian II]

When people get in these kind of uproars over a stupid cartoon, the fault lies with the biggest imbecile, who is the cartoon artist.

More often than not, people get in uproars over their own stupid notions and interpretations of cartoons. The same rule applies to spoken and written text -- heck, it even applies to sign language. The idea that words, drawings, sounds or any other signs can have several different meanings is one stop too far for many peoples' brains.

[Azi Tohak]

Did Moslems howl in protest about those cartoons depicting Mohammed? Or is saying that they howl racist? I would like to see those cartoons actually.

Great, ADD kicked in. Back to topic!

I don't really understand how this lousy piece of commentary is any more offensive than other things I have seen (e.g. Ted Rall). But I guess offensiveness is in the eye of the beholder.

I don't think it is funny, and I don't think I ever will. I'll stick to Foxtrot!

Azi

[Slyspy]

I repeat for the hard of thinking: the casualty depicted in this cartoon is the US Army as a whole, not individual soldiers. In no way is this cartoon an attack on the soldiers who have done their duty and been wounded doing so. It is an attack on Rumsfeld and his overly optimistic (in the cartoonist's eyes) analysis of the Army's state of health.

Also the The Joint Chiefs have, in my view, no right to protest against this or any other article in the press as a mititary and political entity. They may protest as private individuals of course, but not collectively as the Joint Chiefs.

[Redleg]

I repeat for the hard of thinking: the casualty depicted in this cartoon is the US Army as a whole, not individual soldiers. In no way is this cartoon an attack on the soldiers who have done their duty and been wounded doing so. It is an attack on Rumsfeld and his overly optimistic (in the cartoonist's eyes) analysis of the Army's state of health.

And to repeat Gaiwan's comment.

Using the suffering of our wounded veterans to make a joke is not funny. Its tasteless.

And yes I know what the author's message is - I caught that with the drawing with Rumsfield's name on the doctor. His political message does not mean that this method of delivering that message is not tasteless. Its a very crude one in fact.

Also the The Joint Chiefs have, in my view, no right to protest against this or any other article in the press as a mititary and political entity. They may protest as private individuals of course, but not collectively as the Joint Chiefs.

And you would be incorrect. They as governmental representives can protest a political message that targets their military department, especially one that they feel is incorrect and tasteless. Freedom of Speech does not prevent governmental departments from protesting against an individuals freedom of speech, it just protects the individual from being prosecuted for his speech by the government.

[Reverend Joe]

You do realise that there have been single and double amputees who have continued to serve in a frontline capacity?

The biggest hurdle often isn't the physical but the mental relocation of what you can and can't do. The best can adapt to any situation, even one which is a disability.

I think you missed the point of that anecdote...

Anyway, an amputee would not have done so well in the Great war.