Sunday, May 25, 2008

Cartoon for May 26

George Bush killed more than a million people and got away with it. One of his soldiers shot a Koran for target practice, however, and he was prompted to formally apologize.

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19 comments:

  1. AnonymousMay 26, 2008 at 6:34 AM

    Monday, May 26, 2008 Memorial Day Observed
    Once more, George F. Bush insults Americans who actually participated in wars and sacrificed something in their lives for this country by preaching, on Memorial Day, that we 'remember the war dead.' That won't be too difficult since we are surrounded by fresh reminders of the insanity of war by the flaming assholes in the White House who brought us Afghanistan and Iraq, and I don't mean the bastards who hijacked our commerical airliners on 9-11. Allthough, one never knows. Maybe Bush's people thought it wouldn't get out of control the way it did. Maybe someone told Bush it would be a little incident, and Bush, being the brain-dead incompetent he is, bought the scenario, hook, line and sinker. But once the ball got rolling, Bush saw his opportunity, and here we are. The war president who (boo hoo) gave up golf so people wouldn't see him having fun while people died in his wars. And you know, fellow 'Mericans, a good half of the USA bought THAT used car from Bush, STILL! When Bush leaves the White House on Air Force One Chopper, listen carefully and read his lips> George F. Bush will be saying, "So long, suckers!" If anyone has a PROBLEM with that, elect another Republican.

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  2. Aggie DudeMay 26, 2008 at 8:52 AM

    Memorial Day is a racist holiday. It asks us to remember the people who 'matter' and forget everyone else. Civilians not included, non-Americans not included.

    One could argue that it's not racist, just nationalistic. It's a reasonable argument, but I'd respond by saying both are equal in that they are socially constructed and fairly arbitrary.

    I've actually heard people talk about those who matter and those who don't. Isn't that chilling?

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  3. Kevin MooreMay 26, 2008 at 9:49 AM

    It's a "hearts and minds" thing. Iraqis don't mind US soldiers invading their homes, raping women, and gunning them down at traffic stops - but, man, you shoot a holy book, you're really stepping in it!

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  4. Aggie DudeMay 26, 2008 at 10:50 AM

    The audience isn't the Iraqis...it's the American public. It's about keeping up the illusion that we're dignified in any way.

    Shooting at books...it has a little German in it don't you think? Are we going to start burning them any time soon?

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  5. EdwardMay 26, 2008 at 11:26 AM

    Ummm exactly what is racit about Memorial Day? And yes, by definition we honor members of the military on Memorial Day.

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  6. AngeloMay 26, 2008 at 1:33 PM

    This is a classic Ted toon.

    The best part about the story is that the guy probably did it on purpose so they he could leave Iraq! I heard some muslim group say:
    "what?, this is his punishment? he gets to leave? Iraq"

    This one's good for a few more jokes, I think.

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  7. IncitatusMay 26, 2008 at 8:25 PM

    That's a great cartoon, Ted at his best.
    Aggie, at first I had you figured out for an imature, recently graduated militant, but your last posts look like the worst internet trolling I read in a long time.
    Memorial Day may be a silly militaristic, nationalist holiday (not like the US has a monopoly on those), but "racist"? That's the best you could muster?
    And the thing with equating Germans to Nazis was tiresome in usenet 20 years ago. Really, you should take a vacation (i.e., when you get a real job) and go to Germany to see what a decent, pleasant people most of them are.

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  8. Aggie DudeMay 27, 2008 at 9:53 AM

    Edward: exactly what is racit about Memorial Day?

    I explained the answer to this after making the statement:

    It asks us to remember the people who 'matter' and forget everyone else. Civilians not included, non-Americans not included.

    One could argue that it's not racist, just nationalistic. It's a reasonable argument, but I'd respond by saying both are equal in that they are socially constructed and fairly arbitrary.

    I've actually heard people talk about those who matter and those who don't. Isn't that chilling?

    Separating the value of human beings out based on race, which is socialized differently in different parts of the world (not always just skin color) is not really different than separating the value of human beings based on their citizen status, or where they were born, or their cultural heritage, or religion.

    Therefore, if you have a holiday that is based on discriminating between those who matter and those who don't, generally determined by who was on which side of a given conflict most of them had no control over, what else would you call it? Nationalism is just another way of saying "we're better than you."

    Perhaps most humans still operate that way, but the fact that we all do it doesn't make it false. We all breathe oxygen...that doesn't mean the statement is false.

    Incitatus:

    I am not 'recently graduated,' and I have a "real" job, and a house, and a dog...and a cat. I transcended those tired "when you get in the real world, son..." arguments a decade ago, they're completely moronic, and irrelevant to the discussion.

    In what way is my reality less valid than yours?

    I have also been to Germany, and loved it. Every experience I've had with German people has been wonderful.

    So I use the reference for two main reasons:

    First, it's effective. Americans are still very obsessed with WWII so any reference to Nazism plays keenly on their emotions. This is why American politicians -GW Bush's latest comment included- continue to reference appeasement whenever someone calls for diplomacy.

    Second, your point about how wonderful the Germans can be is precisely why it is important to acknowledge the savagery of Nazis, and point out every behavior perpetrated today that is consistent with what they inflicted on humanity. Evil behavior, militancy, fascism, war rape, genocide and other atrocities are not endemic to any group of people, race or nationality. They arise from structural processes that develop over time when militaristic institutions become the dominant forces in a society.

    Imperial Japan was a good representation of what happens when militarism completely consumes a society.

    I've heard too many Americans dismiss Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan as "that's just the way THOSE people act," . . .as though Americans would NEVER do such things.

    To assert that is fundamentally racist and bigoted. The fact that Germans and Japanese are peace loving and friendly is a testament to how entire societies can be grotesquely mutated into perpetrating heinous crimes.

    I believe the United States of America is heading down that path, if not already far along it. This is why it is important to recognize that YES, the GERMANS are wonderful....how could such a wonderful people and society commit such atrocities!?

    We should be wary of assuming that these things could not happen to us, wherever we are and however we define ourselves.

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  9. KevinMay 27, 2008 at 10:10 AM

    Speaking of book-burning, did anybody else read the story about the small-town mayor in Israel who organized a public bonfire of New Testaments?

    At issue was a small sect in Israel called the Messianic Jews, who keep the Law but still believe in Jesus. Apparently, they occasionally try to proselytize to other Jews there. So the mayor, upon hearing that the New Testaments were being handed out, sent the public safety department around town in loudspeaker trucks demanding that anyone who had one surrender it to the authorities. The resulting pile was then burned.

    I wonder what Ted Hagee and those other Zionist jokers on Christian TV think about that one.

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  10. taking this way too seriouslyMay 27, 2008 at 8:43 PM

    I'm sorry aggie, could you repeat that? I must have nodded off.

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  11. EdwardMay 27, 2008 at 9:05 PM

    Aggie,
    Racism and Nationalism are not the same even if I agree with you that this a nationalist holiday. Therefore your statement that Memorial Day is a racist holiday is a stretch of logic at best.

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  12. AnonymousMay 28, 2008 at 5:46 AM

    Burning books, eh?

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  13. Aggie DudeMay 28, 2008 at 8:16 AM

    We disagree, Edward, I see nationalism and racism as social artifacts that are constructed via the same processes of separating out groups of people (self & other) and asserting a qualitative difference, and therefore justifying unequal rights (such as "enemy combatant" vs. "POW" vs. "Citizen").

    As far as me taking this too seriously...this is all tongue and cheek to me, or I would be focusing my attention on publishing my political positions in an academic journal.

    Maybe you accuse me of taking it way to seriously as a way of dismissing the fact that you have a weak argument? It's not a failing of mine that I am thorough, even in my 'beer & peanuts' level editorial comments.

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  14. AngeloMay 28, 2008 at 12:54 PM

    taking it too seriously? Its not like we dragged the war pigs out of their mansions and bludgeoned them to death with a fire extinguisher.

    All we are doing is sitting here discussing it all.

    taking it too seriously. Ha! That's a good one.

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  15. you're not a blowhardMay 28, 2008 at 11:28 PM

    My mistake, on two counts: The comments on this blog are absolutely a serious, serious matter, and you are not boring. Thanks for showing me the way.

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  16. AnonymousMay 29, 2008 at 3:24 PM

    I read your stuff eagerly for a long time, i only read your comic now. What completely baffles me, is that you seem to be losing your sanity, at one time I could agree with you 80-90%, but now its about 30%, the comics are vaguely connected to some mute meme, then try to be overly ??? snide? ironic? which loses all comedy from it's purpose. I havent read your blog for a year now so this is comic critz only.
    Get back to hammering on bush and dont let your genius side over-rule everything else.
    Keep it simple, wow i need to read 4 paragraphs and there's no punch line? and if there is it isnt funny? Seriously, remember where you came from bro, remember what made you a great cartoonist, because i miss that guy.

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  17. AngeloJune 2, 2008 at 12:07 AM

    wow, imagine influencing a syndicated columnist. It would be like you are syndicated...

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  18. fourth generationJune 3, 2008 at 8:16 AM

    er, as a german-american i can't help noting the hypocrisy of some doofus decrying the racism and nationalism of memorial day and seconds later using my ethnic group as a generic metaphor for all things nefarious and malign

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  19. Aggie DudeJune 5, 2008 at 3:29 PM

    FG, I find your stretching attempt to sound offended very shallow. There's nothing nationalistic or racist about what I'm saying about Nazi Germany. It shouldn't be forgotten that any society can be consumed by fascism and led into the abyss.

    I'm also not being hypocritical here, and you know it.

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