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thedrifter
02-02-06, 07:12 AM
Joint Chiefs Fire At Toles Cartoon On Strained Army

By Howard Kurtz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, February 2, 2006; Page C01

In a protest with an unusual number of high-level signatures, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and each of its five members have fired off a letter assailing a Washington Post cartoon as "beyond tasteless."

The Tom Toles cartoon, published Sunday, depicts a heavily bandaged soldier in a hospital bed as having lost his arms and legs, while Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, in the guise of a doctor, says: "I'm listing your condition as 'battle hardened.' " Toles said he meant no offense toward American soldiers.

The letter to The Post, signed by Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the vice chairman and the service chiefs of the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force, said: "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 traumatic and life-altering wounds . . .

"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." The letter, which a reporter obtained from the Pentagon, is being published today.

The cartoon is based on remarks that Rumsfeld made last week. In rejecting warnings by a Pentagon-sponsored study that the Iraq war risks "breaking" the Army, he said the U.S. military is "battle hardened" and an "enormously capable force." At the bottom of the cartoon, in smaller type, Rumsfeld says: "I'm prescribing that you be stretched thin. We don't define that as torture."

In an interview, Toles called the letter "an understandable response" but said he did not regret what he drew. In thinking about Rumsfeld's remarks, he said, "what came soon to mind was the catastrophic level of injuries the Army and members of the armed services have sustained . . . I thought my portrayal of it was a fair depiction of the reality of the situation.

"I certainly never intended it to be in any way a personal attack on, or a derogatory comment on, the service or sacrifice of American soldiers."

As for the Joint Chiefs' letter, he said: "I think it's a little bit unfair in their reading of the cartoon to imply that is what it's about."

Fred Hiatt, The Post's editorial page editor, said he doesn't "censor Tom" and that "a cartoonist works best if he or she doesn't feel there's someone breathing over their shoulder. He's an independent actor, like our columnists." Hiatt said he makes comments on drafts of cartoons but that Toles is free to ignore them.

Asked about Sunday's cartoon, Hiatt said, "While I certainly can understand the strong feelings, I took it to be a cartoon about the state of the Army and not one intended to demean wounded soldiers."

Dave Autry, deputy communications director for Disabled American Veterans, said he was "certainly not" offended by the cartoon.

"It was graphic, no doubt about it," he said. "But it drove home a point, that there are critically ill patients that certainly need to be attended to."

Toles, who won a 1990 Pulitzer Prize for the Buffalo News and joined The Post in 2002, said he expected criticism for drawing the quadruple amputee, as he does for about two-thirds of his efforts.

"It is the nature of cartooning that someone can read an analogy a cartoon uses to mean things other than what was intended," Toles said. "The only way to avoid that problem is to draw cartoons that have no impact."

thedrifter
02-02-06, 07:59 AM
http://www.blackfive.net/photos/uncategorized/clip_image001.gif

thedrifter
02-02-06, 09:11 AM
February 01, 2006

‘24-star letter’: Joint Chiefs assail ‘reprehensible’ cartoon

By Chuck Vinch
Times staff writer

The Joint Chiefs of Staff have fired off an unusual and strongly worded letter to The Washington Post objecting to an editorial cartoon published by the paper in its Jan. 29 edition.

In the cartoon, by Post editorial cartoonist Tom Toles, a figure missing all four limbs lies in a hospital bed, with a medical chart attached to the footboard that reads, “U.S. Army.” Next to the bed stands “Dr. Rumsfeld” — Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld — scribbling notes and saying, “I’m listing your condition as ‘battle-hardened.’ ”

The cartoon was a reference to comments made by Rumsfeld at a Jan. 25 Pentagon news briefing in a discussion about whether the Iraq war has stretched U.S. ground forces too thin.

In the briefing, Rumsfeld insisted the “force is not broken” and is “capable of functioning in a very effective way.”

“In addition,” he said, the force is “battle-hardened … it is not a peacetime force that has been in barracks or garrisons.”

The Joint Chiefs’ Jan. 31 response to the cartoon, a copy of which was obtained by Military Times, is being referred to within the Pentagon as the “24-star letter.” The Washington Post reportedly will publish it Thursday.

It was signed by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Marine Gen. Peter Pace; Vice Chairman, Adm. Edmund Giambastiani Jr.; and the four service chiefs — Adm. Michael Mullen, Marine Gen. Mike Hagee, Air Force Gen. T. Michael Moseley and Army Gen. Peter Schoomaker.

The four-stars said they were “extremely disappointed” in the Toles cartoon.

“Using the likeness of a service member who has lost his arms and legs in war as the central theme of a cartoon is beyond tasteless,” they wrote.

“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 not to make light of their tremendous physical sacrifices.”

The four-stars noted it is “rare that we all put our hand to one letter, but we cannot let this reprehensible cartoon go unanswered.”

thedrifter
02-02-06, 09:19 AM
Comic Outrage
February 2nd, 2006
Thomas Lifson

This week people have been doing more agonizing than laughing at newspaper cartoons. Not just Muslims, but now America’s military forces – and the rest of us who support our warriors – are disgusted by a cartoon. Specifically the cartoon drawn by Tom Toles and published in the Washington Post making light of an amputee recovering from battle wounds.

Beyond being repulsed by cartoons, the two movements have nothing in common. Here is the statement sent by the Joint Chiefs of Staff to the Washington Post:

We were extremely disappointed to see the Jan. 29 editorial cartoon by Tom Toles.

Using the likeness of a service member who has lost his arms and legs in war as the central theme of a cartoon was beyond tasteless. Editorial cartoons are often designed to exaggerate issues, and The Post is obviously free to address any topic, including the state of readiness of the armed forces. However, The Post and Mr. Toles have done a disservice to readers and to The Post’s reputation by using such a callous depiction of those who volunteered to defend this nation and, as a result, suffered traumatic and life-altering wounds.Those who visit wounded veterans in hospitals have found lives profoundly changed by pain and loss. They also have found brave men and women with a sense of purpose and selfless commitment that causes battle-hardened warriors to pause.

While The Post and some of its readers may not agree with the war or its conduct, these men and women and their families are owed the decency of not having a cartoon make light of their tremendous physical sacrifices.As the joint chiefs, we rarely put our hand to one letter, but we cannot let this reprehensible cartoon go unanswered.

The letter is signed by the Chairman, Marine General Peter Pace, and all members of the JCS.

Do you notice any differences from the Islamic reaction?

First of all, consider that the JCS and our military possess overwhelming physical force, yet nowhere demand anything.

Not an apology, not even any assurance of future compliance with their sensitivities. In fact, the JCS recognize the right of the Post to publish whatever it wishes. The JCS instead point out the pain the Post and Toles have inflicted, and asks them to contemplate the demands of decency and refrain from making light of physical sacrifices.

No boycotts, no withdrawal of military resources from the Post, no beatings, no bounties placed on the head of Tom Toles, no threats at all. If the Washington Post has augmented its security arrangements, it is news to me.

The contast could not be greater, as all the above sanctions have been brought to bear on Jylllands Posten, Denmark and Danes, including two reportedly beaten in Saudi Arabia, and death threats against some of the cartoonists.

European, but so far no American newspapers have reacted to the threat by republishing the cartoons. One brave editor has been fired for publishing the Muhammad cartoons:

Under the headline “Yes, we have the right to caricature God”, France Soir ran a front page cartoon of Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim and Christian gods floating on a cloud.

It shows the Christian deity saying: “Don’t complain, Muhammad, we’ve all been caricatured here.”

The tradition of appeasement runs deep in France. So far the Spanish, Italian, German, Norwegian and Danish editors who published the cartoons retain their jobs, as far as we know.

And so far as I know, no Jewish, Christian or Buddhist groups have raised a stir over France Soir. Does anyone expect anything different? Islam seems to play by different rules, which place Islam above all others.

There is considerable evidence that a campaign was mounted to inflame the Islamic world against Denmark by certain imams located in Denmark. From the Copenhagen Post:

PM Anders Fogh Rasmussen lashed out at extremist Muslim leaders in Denmark on Thursday for speaking with two tongues in the on-going row between the country and the Muslim world.

Rasmussen said imams’ positive comments in Danish about the recent days’ thaw in the dispute over newspaper Jyllands-Posten’s publication of 12 caricatures of the prophet Mohammed had been undermined by statements made in Arabic to the media from Muslim countries.

‘We have clearly noted that in certain situations, some people are speaking with two tongues,’ Rasmussen said after meeting the parliament’s foreign policy committee. ‘The government watches what news and information is circulated in Arabic countries very closely so we can catch false stories and correct them immediately.’

Rasmussen was referring specifically to an incident in which controversial imam Abu Laban said to television station al-Jazeera that he was happy about the Muslim boycott. Later in the day, Laban said to Danish television station TV2 that he would urge Muslims to stop the boycott immediately.

‘If Muslim countries decide to boycott, and if Muslims feel that it is their obligation to defend the prophet, then that is something we can be happy about,’ Laban said to al-Jazeera.

Other leading imams have also been accused of misleading Muslims outside of Denmark about the situation.

Earlier this week, imam Abu Bashir appeared on BBC World showing a caricature of Mohammed with a pig’s snout and ears to representatives of the Arabic League. Bashir falsely claimed that the caricature was one of the 12 Jyllands-Posten drawings.

Neither Laban nor Bashir were available for comment.

Numerous Danish readers have emailed me that imams residing in Denmark had traveled to Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries, and brandished inflammatory cartoons never published in the Jyllands Posten. In other words, the outrage has been nefariously heightened, if these reports are true.

Blogger Carib Pundit very helpfully directed me to the Mohammed Image Archive, which proves beyond any reasonable doubt that images of the Prophet Muhammad have been made in various parts of the Islamic world for centuries, and, indeed, that images continue to made and sold on the streets of cities in Iran today. As religious icons.

Perusing the images, I found one that I had seen before, in the Basilica of San Petronio in Bologna, Italy. You will need to scroll down slightly more than halfway to see two close-ups of the fresco in the Basilica showing Muhammad being tortured in hell.

I made a point of visiting the Basilica when I learned that it was under threat of being blown up, for the crime of housing the picture of Muhammad in hell. Locating the fresco in question took some doing. It was behind a locked gate, and could be seen only from the side, with very little light shining on it. A visit to the Basilica’s gift shop found no postcards or souvenir books displaying the famous painting on sale. The owner suggested that we look for the comprehensive multi-volume history of Bologna’s great art in various bookstores if we wanted an image to bring home to America.

An afternoon spent prowling the book shops of Bologna did not yield a single copy of the particular volume of the art history series. All the other volumes in the series were in stock, but the publisher was, curiously, not selling any more copies to the bookstores.

Only when my family and I returned to the Basilica and told the gift shop manager that we hadn’t been able to find the art history volume which he suggested, did he take pity. He opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a postcard containing the forbidden image. We had passed the test and were allowed to carry the forbidden image.

Global Sharia has already worked its magic in Bologna, a beautiful Medieval city with a strong Catholic heritage. The city, with its own sad experience of terror, has virtually capitulated in practice. Yes, the Basilica remains intact, for now. But the most controversial art it contains is obscured and made difficult to view, even in a reproduction.

The cartoon incident is no comic matter. Step by step, a dedicated group, numbering in the unknown millions, plans to impose Sharia everywhere. They have already succeeded to a dregree that would have been impossible to imagine only a few decades ago.

Thomas Lifson is the editor and publisher of The American Thinker.

Ellie

Ed Palmer
02-02-06, 01:32 PM
LOOKS LIKE THE HAVE GOTTEN THE CMC AND A FEW OTHERS RILED UP


http://www.jcs.mil/cjs/060131WashingtonPost_letter.pdf


Mr. Philip Bennett

Managing Editor, The Washington Post

1150 15th Street NW

Washington, DC 20071

To The Editor of the Washington Post:

We were extremely disappointed to see the editorial cartoon by Tom Toles on page B6 in the January 29 edition. Using the likeness of a service member who has lost his arms and legs in war as the central theme of a cartoon 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 traumatic and lifealtering 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 truly battle-hardened 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,

s/

PETER PACE

General, US Marine Corps

Chairman

Of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

s/

EDMUND P. GIAMBASTIANI, JR.

Admiral, U.S. Navy

Vice Chairman

Of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

s/

MICHAEL W. HAGEE

General, US Marine Corps

Commandant of the Marine Corps

s/

PETER J. SCHOOMAKER

General, US Army

Chief of Staff

s/

MICHAEL G. MULLEN

Admiral, US Navy

Chief of Naval Operations

s/

T. MiCHAEL MOSELEY

General, US Air Force

Chief of Staff

greensideout
02-02-06, 08:08 PM
If I remember correctly, it took a nudge from our own "Marinemom" to get Gen. Pace to wake up to visiting the troops at the hospital.

The cartoon is clear as I see it. It's pointed at rummy and the admin for their additude and handing of the war.

I guess that they are just trying to cover their boss' six---again.

thedrifter
02-04-06, 06:57 AM
Repsonses to the Tole's WashPo Cartoon
Black Five

Update: Check out Chuck's response at TCOverride to the WashPo and his version of the cartoon.

I've figured this would just be the beginning. Tole's response to his cartoon just doesn't cut it with military people. We've read the 24 Star Letter, now read some of these responses to the WashPo's cartoon.

This one is from a Marine Mom (and a Soldier's Mom, too):

As the mother of a Marine, a Soldier (Sp. Ops) and mother-in-law of another Sp. Ops. Soldier I must say that I found the cartoon in the Washing Post both disgusting and despicable. All three of our boys served in Iraq at the same time this past summer. Two of our boys made it home safely, but unfortunately our Soldier was wounded on Sept. 9th by a suicide bomber. He had many shrapnel wounds and lost the hearing in one ear. However, there were no complaints from this young man.
Quite the contrary. When his commanding officer did not want to send him back for that original deployment, our son was going to start an e-mail campaign to get back to Iraq. His other teams members were 2 men short, and he felt he needed to be back with them. He returned to his team shortly before Thanksgiving and returned to the States this past Saturday. He is so convinced that we are doing good in Iraq that he has re-enlisted for another 5 years. So have most his team members. His comment was the insurgents were not going to run us out. Instead of quitting, the insurgents just made our soldiers on this team mad. Mad for injuring one of their brothers.

Unfortunately, re-enlistment did not work out as well for our Marine and he will be coming home soon to return to college. He loves being a Marine and as a Marine Mom, I can't tell you the pride I have in this son. I definitely have one of the "Few Good Men."

Please pass this to whomever you think might benefit from this letter. It is due to the conviction of these young men and the thousands that have served along with them, that allow the cartoonist from the Washington Post to have the freedom to publish his trash. I wonder if he would have their courage to pass out copies of his cartoon at Walter Reed, Bethesda or any of our other fine hospitals treating our wounded. My bet is no!

OORAH to the JCS for standing united and condemning this cartoon and cartoonist.
May God Bless America and

Semper Fi,
Charlene
Proud Houston Marine Mom

From Marine Sergeant R.:

I assume by now you realize the depth of disrespect you have shown your American military force, that same force that is fighting for your very freedom as I type this letter. By publishing such a tasteless cartoon of an injured war veteran in this case an amputee shows one of the worst cases of disrespect I have ever seen. Soldiers, Sailors, Airman, and Marines around the world are not laughing at your comic strip. We, the military veterans of all services are not laughing as well. Frankly speaking when I read your cartoon my first impression was “Here is a person or a group of people who have never served in the US Military”. If you had served you would have never published that cartoon. You clearly show the lack of appreciation for a sacrifice that every military person makes on the behalf of the American people. Military sacrifices range from signing your initial obligation contract to join the military, to missing most major holidays, weekends, deployment, war, injury and the ultimate sacrifice of being killed. But you obviously know nothing of that, or you wouldn’t have published that cartoon. I think you should take copies of the Washington Post with your cartoon in it and visit Walter Reed Medical Center. You should hand out autographed copies as the injured veterans arrive and see if they laugh.

More in the Extended Section:

-From retired Marine Master Sergeant Glen Evans:
I may be a little late on the totem for this one, but I just want you to know that the so-called "Editorial Cartoon" that appeared in your publication on 29 January 2006 depicting the casualty with four amputations was completely without class, without any redeeming social value.

It was just plain STUPID!

It was STUPID for it to be drawn by TOLES, whoever he/she is!

It was even more STUPID for you to have given it the blessing of printing and distributing it.

You should count you blessing that you didn't point something of that nature at the Islamic world. Just look at the outrage over what was printed in a Danish paper.


You have showed a total disrespect for the Military personnel who protect your First Amendment Rights.

I was very pleased to see the unified response of all members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Rarely do you see all of the Joint Chiefs so totally outspoken in union.

You have shown a total lack of sensitivity for the families of Members of the Armed Forces, whatever branch, that have to learn to deal with the physical injuries that will forever change them and their loved ones. You have shown that you do not care one iota for the families that have lost loved ones who were in the forefront of our country's defense, when and where ever that may have been.

You obviously do not agree with the war being fought in Iraq and in Afghanistan, but there are limits of good taste and just plain common sense that you went beyond, way beyond, with this trash. I could have sworn that you claim to report the news, not create garbage.

At this point, I am not sure that your rag is fit to wrap week-old fish.

The normal valediction from a Marine is Semper Fidelis, which is Always Faithful, something you have forgotten. I certainly cannot use it for you.

John Philip Sousa is spinning in his grave, trying to figure out how to rescind the name, and honor, he gave the Washington Postby naming a popular march for your paper. Times have certainly changed.

Glen Barry Evans
Master Sergeant of Marines
Retired from Active Duty

And the MilBlog poet laureate, Russ Vaugh, has some words for the Washington Post:



WaPo Weasels

Wanna draw a soldier, Toles? Here I am,

Back with all four limbs from Vietnam.

You wanna draw pictures of fighting men?

Just tell me where and tell me when.

I’ll give you a pose to impress any viewer,

Your punk arty ass comatose in the sewer.

Like all of your kind you don’t have a clue

Who fightin’ men are and what fightin’ men do.

That you, your kind, you effete panty waists,

With Hollywood morals, metrosexual tastes,

Would taunt a brave warrior’s fight for life,

Mock his loss, his pain, deride his strife;

And use his sorrow to support your screed,

With no concern for the warrior’s need,

Tells me you are clueless of the facts of war,

You’re a cut ‘n run, spineless, media *****.

Go to Walter Reed hospital, smug Mr. Toles,

To see those you’ve mocked, grave injured souls

View wounded warriors with bodies so broken

And think again of the message you’ve spoken,

So abysmally ignorant, so smug condescending

That even most liberals won’t waste time defending.

So Toles it’s a fact that your most famous work

Will proclaim you forever as a pitiless jerk.

And Washington Post you’re as bad as this weasel

You gave him the forum, provided his easel.

Russ Vaughn

2d Bn, 327th Parachute Infantry Regiment

101st Airborne Division

Vietnam 65-66

Ed Palmer
02-04-06, 07:46 AM
Cartoonist Ted Rall: "We Do Not Owe Our Liberties To The Military"
Newsbusters.org ^ | 3 February 2006 | Dave Pierre





In an especially contentious exchange on this evening's Hannity and Colmes (Friday February 3, 2006), cantankerous cartoonist Ted Rall, a guest on the program, unbelievably declared, "We do not owe our liberties to the military." The topic was the recent Washington Post cartoon by Tom Toles that has outraged many. The cartoon prompted a letter to the editor (linked at Michelle Malkin) from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who tagged the the work as "beyond tasteless." Needless to say, Rall (who himself has created bigoted trash in the past) defended Toles' cruel piece. Here's the relevant exchange (audiotape on file, emphasis mine):

SEAN HANNITY: Here's what you're missing. The reason that you have the right to be mean, and you were mean to this guy [killed in Afghanistan, former NFL star Pat] Tillman, who gave up a football contract to save his country. The reason you have the right to be mean in your cartoons, and Toles has a right to mean and insensitive in his cartoons, is because of people like this (Sean holds up the WaPo cartoon) that literally put their lives on the line so you have the right for free expression. And you insult them and use them as props so you can make your left-wing political points.

RALL: Sean, you could not possibly be more wrong about the nature of this country. We do not owe our liberties to the military. We owe them to the Constitution. We have civilian rule in the United States --

HANNITY: The military preserves the Constitution. They put their lives on the line so that you have free speech. You do owe them.

RALL: The military doesn't give us free speech.

HANNITY: Yes, they do.

RALL: Thomas Jefferson and the Founding Fathers gave us free speech.

HANNITY: No. Because if they don't defend that Constitution, you don't have the right to be so wrong in your cartoons!

"We do not owe our liberties to our military"?? I'm sure George Washington would have had a few things to say about that, not to mention the generations of heroic young men who fought and died to protect and defend our precious liberties.

It was simply another pathetic display by Ted Rall. How ungrateful this man is. What a disgrace.

By the way, if Rall's comments weren't sad enough, co-host Alan Colmes claimed that the Joint Chiefs' letter to the Washington Post was "intimidating" and that there was a "chill of intimidation that goes right down the spine of the First Amendment." Puh-leeze, Alan.



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