I don’t normally post the work of other cartoonists, but this piece by Scott Stantis is so brilliant that I can’t resist.
Great Scott Stantis Cartoon
Ted Rall
http://rall.comTed Rall is a syndicated political cartoonist for Andrews McMeel Syndication and WhoWhatWhy.org and Counterpoint. He is a contributor to Centerclip and co-host of "The Final Countdown" talk show on Radio Sputnik. He is a graphic novelist and author of many books of art and prose, and an occasional war correspondent. He is, recently, the author of the graphic novel "2024: Revisited."
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8 Comments.
I’m astonished that the Chicago Tribune actually printed this one. Perhaps there’s hope for mainstream editorial cartoons after all.
Ted, I saw the “hemp” cartoon on eBay. Let me just say this: Brilliant!
I got one for you.
Instead of blaming the military for fighting wars, why not blame the politicians that “YOU” elect that send them over. Contrary to popular belief, the military doesn’t get together and decide to go fight someone. The politicians that people like you elect to office send them. The military cannot go to war without political approval. Also the military doesn’t get to decide or even make a suggestion on whom to go to war with, it is all done in Washington by the president and congress. Go after them they are the real reason we are fighting.
Funny, I am working on a cartoon about this trope. A day or two ago, someone wrote to the NYT pointing out that we elect the politicians so their malfeasance is, in a way, our fault.
However, I disagree. Every election cycle we are offered the choice between two assholes. Regardless of which asshole I vote for, or whether I stay home, the winner will be an asshole.
If we lived in a democracy, if anyone and everyone could theoretically be elected president, then you would be right. As things stand, in a two-party kleptocracy in which most people are precluded due to their lack of access to massive amounts of money, their religion, their background, or their politics from running for office, it isn’t accurate to say that “we” elected anybody. I have never met anyone who could ever become president, and the odds are, neither have you.
As things stand, in the real world, the only way American militarism can stop is for people to stop (voluntarily) going to work for the military.
Actually the issue is with the American people. People are like sheep, they are lazy and do not want to do something for themselves. When they vote for officials, all they ever do is either put in a democrat or a republican. Too many registered democrats will only vote for the democrat and republicans will only vote for the republican no matter what the candidate’s stance or values are. The American people are a major part of what is wrong with this country. When you vote, you should vote for the candidate that you feel will do the best job for the country, not just because of their political affiliation.
The problem is the majority of people are too lazy to look up the candidates. They wait for someone else to tell them who to vote for. Did you know that there are independents that run for office every time for every office? People for some reason refuse to elect a person into office that isn’t a democrat or a republican. What we need is a president and congress that is more concerned with the well being of the country and the American people, than the rest of the world and big business. What the people don’t relies is that just because they elected an asshole doesn’t mean they have to reelect them. By consistently electing different officials (especially those in congress). It will send a clear message that the people are getting fed up and will remove them.
By trying to get people to stop volunteering for service will hurt the country as a whole. It will leave us open for invasion for starters as well as when it hits a low count they will enact a draft. The only thing that currently keeps the people from a draft is the fact that it is a volunteer service. Many countries do not give their people that option.
It is basically impossible to elect an independent. You can say, if everyone voted for one he’d be elected, but the fact is, you can’t make that happen. The reality is that the system simply doesn’t work. It never did.
The draft would be an improvement. It would engage more people when there’s a war. Right now, with mercenaries, no one but their families care when they get killed.
I didn’t realize it was a “Muslim tradition” to throw the dead off an aircraft carrier into the middle of the ocean. I guess I’ll just never understand Islam.
“The draft would be an improvement. It would engage more people when there’s a war. Right now, with mercenaries, no one but their families care when they get killed.”
– Ted Rall
That’s why they use them….having armed mercenaries do some of the dreck work kills the need of a draft, but in it’s own weird way it’s a “draft” of all the old “lifers” who could not give up military life after retirement, either because they love it too much, they can’t take civilian life, or they have bills to pay and riding shotgun on an oil truck in Basra pays those bills.
I want to see the bin Laden photos, or video of his burial, mostly to shut up the conspiracy nuts. I wanted him alive so we could try him, but if we can`t question him, at least let us see what our tax dollars paid for….after all, we got to see the collapse of South Vietnam on TV. Why not this?