Cartoon polarizing
The cartoon on the Rocky Mountain News letters page of May 11 was disgusting and juvenile. It showed a bearded, turbaned Muslim blaming the Democrats for dividing the U.S. over the war in Iraq and offering congratulations to a caricature of Osama Bin Laden sitting under a “Mission Accomplished” banner.
The cartoon could just as easily have read: “The Republicans have mired the U.S. in an endless, bloody, costly war ... alienated much of the world and recruited Muslims to the extremist cause ... bankrupted the government ... and the country is hopelessly divided. Congratulations! Mission accomplished!”
It is easy to be divisive, easy to sling mud, easy to blame others, but a lot harder, apparently, to work together for the good of all Americans and our world neighbors.
Please think twice before publishing such hateful, polarizing, mean-spirited junk.
Margaret Cross, Evergreen
That's right, it's always the other people who are being divisive, slinging mud, blaming others, isn't it? I have to wonder if Margaret Cross would consider a cartoon blaming Bill Clinton for the Iraq war "hateful, polarizing, mean-spirited junk." I don't recall any Republican sentiments of "Let's put aside our differences" and, as Ms. Cross puts it, "work together for the good of all Americans and our world neighbors" during the Clinton administration. To the contrary, they were determined to bring him down, finally succeeding in an area where he was most vulnerable, albeit an area least relevant to national welfare: his sex life. That circus certainly benefitted the country, didn't it?
If you want to talk divisive, how about Fox News Network and its particular brand of chip-on-the-shoulder I'm-a-better-American-than-you-are journalism?
Posted by Hans Christian Brando on May 28, 2007 09:57 AMI remember lots of good ideas that the Democrats ignored because republicans might get the credit.
As for Clinton's behavior, when a president engages in behavior that makes him the butt of off-color jokes literally all over the world, I think it is serious. Much of the criticism of Bush centers on what Europe thinks of him. At least it did until elections in France and Germany indicated that Europeans think better of Bush than their out of power leaders do.
In any case, if European opinion is important when they dislike Bush, then it certainly was important when they thought Clinton was a buffoon.
When the president is accused of sexual assault (albeit before he was elected), most people consider it serious.
Posted by Yaakov Watkins on May 28, 2007 02:40 PMIf your delicate sensibilities were so offended by a play, I'm sure the thought of people having sex drives you over the edge, huh Mr Watkins? Once a prude, always a prude I suppose.
I find it funny that in all of my travels outside of the US, I've never heard anything negative about Clinton, but you most always get an earful about Bush when people find out you are American.
Perhaps you could also provide some examples of these "good ideas" that the Democrats ignored.
Posted by on May 28, 2007 03:57 PMOverall,I would guess if you took a sampling of political cartoons in the main stream media you would find 80% would be critical of Bush and/or conservatives. Of those,a good portion could be considered tasteless and derogatory.Many are just plain sickening and demented.
Remember Tom Toles rendition of a quadruple amputee vet ?
(google tom toles amputee)
How about Ted Rall and his many gems?
(See controversies under his name in wikipedia )
I must have missed Margarets letters of outrage concerning those.
For anyone really interested in some truly well written and illustrated political cartoons go no further than Cox and Forkum
http://www.coxandforkum.com/