Archived material Access restricted Article
Rantburg

Today's Front Page   View All of Thu 02/02/2006 View Wed 02/01/2006 View Tue 01/31/2006 View Mon 01/30/2006 View Sun 01/29/2006 View Sat 01/28/2006 View Fri 01/27/2006
1
2006-02-02 Home Front: Culture Wars
Joint Chiefs Fire At Toles Cartoon On Strained Army
Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.
Posted by Besoeker 2006-02-02 14:40|| || Front Page|| [11141 views since 2007-05-07]  Top

#1 Meant no offense? BULL - he lives to offend and then cite freedom of speech. Classic LLL schtick. This time he crossed the wrong folk and is getting called on it big time.
Posted by Rex Mundi 2006-02-02 15:01||   2006-02-02 15:01|| Front Page Top

#2 Sorry for the duplicate, I added the Joint Chief's letter verbatum at the other posting on today's Rant.
Posted by Besoeker 2006-02-02 15:02||   2006-02-02 15:02|| Front Page Top

#3 Office of the Chairman
The Joint Chiefs of Staff
Washington, D.C. 20318-999
31 January 20067

Mr. Philip Bennett
Managing Editor, The Washington Pot
1150 15th Street NW
Washington, DC 20071

To the Editor of the Washington Post:

We are extremely disappointed to see the editorial cartoon by Tom Toles on page B6 in the January 29th edition. Using the likeness of a service member who has lost arms and legs in wear as the central theme of a cartooon is beyond tasteless. Editorial cartoons are often designed to exaggerate issues -- and your paper is obviously free to address any topic, including the state of readiness of today's Armed Forces. However, we 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 tramatic and life-altering wounds.

Those who visit with wounded veterans in local hospitals have found lives profoundly changed by pain and loss. They have also found brave men and women with a sense of purpose and selfless commitment that causes thruly battle-hardended warriors to pause. Where do we get such men and women? From the cities, and farmlands of this great Nation - they serve to be a part of something bigger than themselves. While you or some of your readers may not agree with the war or its conduct, we believe you owe the men and women and their families who so selflessly serve our country the decency to not make light of their tremendous physical sacrifices.

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.

Sincerely,

PETER PACE
General, US Marine Corps
Chairman
Of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

EDMUND P. GIAMBASTIANI, Jr.
Admiral, U.S. Navy
Vice Chairman
Of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

MICHAEL W. HAGEE
General, US Marine Corps
Commandant of the Marine Corps

PETER J. SCHOOMAKER
General, US Army
Chief of Staff

MICHAEL G. MULLEN
Admiral, US Navy
Chief of Naval Operations

T. MICHAEL MOSELEY
General, US Air Force
Chief of Staff

Here it is once again. My thanks to the Joint Chiefs.
Posted by Besoeker 2006-02-02 15:04||   2006-02-02 15:04|| Front Page Top

#4 I think Toles is getting exactly the reaction he was aiming for. He's trying to fill Rall's shoes.
Posted by Xbalanke 2006-02-02 15:06||   2006-02-02 15:06|| Front Page Top

#5 But he predates Scrawl by, what, 20 yrs? I think he's been around since the bad old days when I actually subscribed to things called "newspapers" and actually thought I was getting the "news" 'n everything. Toles has always been a Tranzi socialist asshole, AFAIK.
Posted by .com 2006-02-02 15:09||   2006-02-02 15:09|| Front Page Top

#6 There must be some kind of Cartoonist Kool Aid.

President of Cartoonists Association Hails 'Wash Post' for Backing Toles
By Dave Astor
Published: February 02, 2006 1:40 PM ET
NEW YORK: Clay Bennett said the Joint Chiefs of Staff have more important things to do than write a letter criticizing a Tom Toles drawing.
"They should be as concerned with the soldiers in the field as they are with a cartoon in The Washington Post," said Bennett, president of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists (AAEC), when reached Thursday by E&P. "Maybe they should provide the body armor soldiers need to help avoid the sort of injury shown in the cartoon."
This Sunday's Toles cartoon pictured a quadruple amputee being visited in a hospital by "Dr. Rumsfeld," who says: "I'm listing your condition as 'battle hardened.'" The Joint Chiefs letter, published in Thursday's Post, said Toles was making fun of the soldier, and called his cartoon "reprehensible." Others noted that Toles was actually commenting on Rumsfeld, the state of the Army, and the carnage caused by the Iraq War. The Post has defended running the cartoon.
"It appears they [the Joint Chiefs] interpret cartoons as accurately as they do pre-war intelligence," Bennett said. The Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist for The Christian Science Monitor added: "It was a tough cartoon on [Defense Secretary Donald] Rumsfeld, but he certainly deserves tough cartoons."
People, said Bennett, can be "purposely obtuse to pick a fight. You can always take a cartoon at face value -- rather than looking at it as a metaphor -- and make it something it's not."
Bennett concluded by praising the Post for backing Toles: "It's great to see a newspaper supporting their cartoonist under this kind of pressure. A lot of papers would have buckled under far less pressure."
Posted by tu3031 2006-02-02 15:14||   2006-02-02 15:14|| Front Page Top

#7 What? No "we support the troops" add ons?

Posted by danking_70 2006-02-02 15:29||   2006-02-02 15:29|| Front Page Top

#8 
Redacted by moderator. Comments may be redacted for trolling, violation of standards of good manners, or plain stupidity. Please correct the condition that applies and try again. Contents may be viewed in the
sinktrap. Further violations may result in
banning.
Posted by wxjames 2006-02-02 15:31||   2006-02-02 15:31|| Front Page Top

#9 With freedom comes responsibility. If there is not an equal amount of responsibility taken, freedom becomes license.

Mr. Toles' cartoon crosses the edge of metaphor and gets into licenscious behavior.

Let's say, for example, that someone makes an editorial showing a loved one of Mr. Toles being tortured and gang-raped by some caritures of well-known national political figures. Would that be ok in freedom of speech? After all, it is just a metaphor for, ummmm, something.

Most people would find that abhorrent, but based upon Mr. Toles' twisted sense of values, it would be OK. Of course, Mr. Toles would go apesh*t over the cartoon, but what would you expect with the LLL disconnect? I rest my case.
Posted by Alaska Paul">Alaska Paul  2006-02-02 16:06||   2006-02-02 16:06|| Front Page Top

#10 Come on folks. Anyone see some similarities between the Mohammad cartoons and this one? Toles' cartoon is tasteless and ill thought out, at best. I find it offensive and, yet, remain glad that I live in a country where such drivel can be published without fear of retribution.

Want to make your displeasure felt? Boycott all papers that carry Toles' cartoons. That's how we do it in America. Hit 'em in the pocketbook.

Toles has stepped on his own d!ck, as I'm sure he'll soon find out. I'll add that the generals were well within their rights to protest such callous disregard for our fallen troops.
Posted by Zenster 2006-02-02 18:02||   2006-02-02 18:02|| Front Page Top

#11 If history has taught me anything it is this - do not make the military mad at you. With MSM support diving to that of Congressmen [of either party] in the basement and the public standing of the military outside small coastal European enclaves being multiple degrees higher, its not the time to play with fire. When the pols of both parties can't get their act together on disaster relief and have to call upon the uniform services to get the recovery back on track, you're showing the American people who they can really count on. Remember the phrase in Jefferson's declaration - Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed. Keep pissing people off. History is not kind to those who ignore the patterns of the past.
Posted by Hupick Snererong3145 2006-02-02 18:02||   2006-02-02 18:02|| Front Page Top

#12 I also meant to add:

"Just because we have the right to do something does not make it the right thing to do."
Posted by Zenster 2006-02-02 18:03||   2006-02-02 18:03|| Front Page Top

#13 How many of us knew who Tom Toles was before this happened? I'm sure he's thrilled with all of this publicity.

The sad thing about our society is that if you want to be noticed by the media - you have to act like an ass. I hope Tolls enjoys his fame. His cartoon will be around for his grandchildren to see what an asshole he was.
Posted by 2b 2006-02-02 22:14||   2006-02-02 22:14|| Front Page Top

#14 Ted Rall's enjoyed oh so much popularity since he was exposed (/sarcasm)- this asshole needs the same sunlight on his "product"...perhaps the WaPo declince curve can take a dip?
Posted by Frank G">Frank G  2006-02-02 23:24||   2006-02-02 23:24|| Front Page Top

#15 Off-topic or abusive comments deleted]
Posted by wxjames 2006-02-02 15:31||   2006-02-02 15:31|| Front Page Top

15:31 wxjames
00:02 JosephMendiola
00:01 Jake
00:01 trailing wife
23:57 .com
23:56 .com
23:54 JosephMendiola
23:52 Jake
23:52 trailing wife
23:48 JosephMendiola
23:47 2b
23:40 2b
23:40 Barbara Skolaut
23:40 Jake
23:39 Barbara Skolaut
23:36 Bomb-a-rama
23:32 Barbara Skolaut
23:32 Whereter Slert4475
23:31 Frank G
23:31 Bomb-a-rama
23:28 Barbara Skolaut
23:26 Barbara Skolaut
23:24 Frank G
23:21 JosephMendiola









Paypal:
Google
Search WWW Search rantburg.com