Posted on 02/01/2006 3:31:44 PM PST by RWR8189
NEW YORK A Tom Toles editorial cartoon published in The Washington Post on Monday and on its Web site has drawn a very rare and very strong protest letter to the editors from all six members of The Joint Chiefs of Staff, E&P has learned.
The letter, not yet published by the Post, charges that the six military leaders "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. ... 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."
A Pentagon spokeswoman confirmed the contents of the letter to E&P late this afternoon. That the newspaper had received such a letter was first reported on the popular AmericaBlog site, which is run by John Aravosis, this afternoon.
The spokeswoman said a letter from all six joint chiefs to anyone, let alone a newspaper, is rare, but the cartoon so offended them, they wanted to let their feelings be known. "It was expressing their disappointment with the paper and outrage at using that image to make a political point," said Lt. Col. Diane Battaglia. "That is a rare occurrence, but the level of inappropriateness prompted a response of unanimous support."
Battaglia said Post editors told her office that the letter would be published in Thursday's paper. Editorial Page Editor Fred Hiatt declined to comment on the letter. "My policy is I can't talk about letters until we publish them," he told E&P. "If and when a letter runs, I'd be happy to talk about it."
Reached by E&P, Tom Toles said, "no comment."
The Toles cartoon shows a soldier, a quadriplegic, in a hospital, being visited by a Dr. Rumsfeld who is scribbling on a form. Rumsfeld says, "I am listing your condition as battle hardened." At the bottom a smaller figure of the doctor adds, "I'm prescribing that you be stretched thin. We don't define that as torture."
The letter, signed by Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Admiral Edmund P. Giambastini, Jr., the vice-chairman, and the four other military branch leaders -- and addressed to the Post's managing editor, Philip Bennett -- reveals that 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.
They observed that the paper is "obviously free to address any topic," even use exaggeration. But they added: "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."
Aravosis from AmericaBlog told E&P: "Now that the Joint Chiefs have addressed the insidious threat cartoons pose to our troops, perhaps they can move on to less pressing issues like getting them their damn body armor."
I must've missed the threatening tone. What did they threaten? I suspect the Joint Chiefs of Staff have a right to defend their troops and can freely express disappointment and disapprobation. That's hardly intimidation.
Of course, if the JCoS are wrong, Pelosi, Kennedy and Dean will set them straight in a trice.
Wow...that tells it all doesn't it? Thanks!
I noticed he doesn't have the balls to attack the Marines.
Oh, I got it...but a cartoon trying to make that point should make a mockery of the brass, not use a ludicrous comic depiction of a quadriplegic soldier as the comic centerpiece. That crosses over a line between satirical and tasteless.
"Total Turd Toles"
(snort!)
he reminds me of that other bad cartoonist who made fun of dead Pat Tillman.
Good....I work a lot.
obrigado!
Aravosis and fellow gay bloggers such as Michael Rogers are becoming the most powerful of voices for gay men and lesbians to surface in years--without using the traditional tools of political activism.
Aravosis and Rogers share similar goals with traditional activists. But to witness how powerful their tactics are, merely mention their names in D.C.-area gay bars and watch the closeted conservatives scatter. "I'm told some people on the Hill are afraid to go to gay bars and introduce themselves using their real name for fear their name will end up in my e-mail box," says Rogers. "If only they knew gay bars are really the one safe place for them. I hate going to bars."
Rogers runs BlogActive.com and RawStoryQ.com. He's a 41-year-old D.C.-area blogger whose controversial outing campaign has exposed more than 20 gays who work for conservative causes and politicians. He got his start working on gay issues in a more traditional arena, as a successful marketing consultant and fund-raiser for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, GALA Choruses, and the Funding Exchange. Before that, after coming out in 1986, he cut his headline-grabbing teeth as a member of ACT UP.
Senate majority leader Bill Frist scheduled a vote on the antigay Federal Marriage Amendment just two weeks before the Democratic National Convention. Rogers got mad and assembled fliers that were handed out at D.C.'s gay pride celebration. With the demand DO NOT PROTECT HOMOPHOBES AND THE PEOPLE WHO KEEP THEM IN POWER, the fliers encouraged people to e-mail Rogers the names of closeted conservatives. His inbox was immediately flooded.
Rogers's biggest coup came from an anonymous source who sent taped audio messages from the MegaMates personals phone line, allegedly recorded by conservative Republican U.S. representative Ed Schrock of Virginia, in which the caller solicited casual gay sex from men.
Schrock backed out of his reelection race. In a press release he said, "After much thought and prayer, I have come to the realization that these allegations will not allow my campaign to focus on the real issues facing our nation and region."
Rogers--from gay rights groups including HRC and the Log Cabin Republicans, for outing congressional staffers who are not elected public officials. But in spite of the negative reaction, Rogers says some of his best sources are people at D.C.'s leading gay groups.
Aravosis is nothing but a trouble maker...
Does NBC's Andrea Mitchell know something about the Bush administration's
domestic spying program that the rest of us don't? As AMERICAblog's John
Aravosis notes, Mitchell put a question to the New York Times' James Risen
Tuesday that suggests that she might...
In their response NBC confirms that they not only were but are in fact continuing to investigate whether Amanpour was in fact a target of one of these 'wiretaps'.
Twenty-four hours after contacting CNN for comment on this post, a spokesperson released the following statement:"Neither CNN nor Christiane Amanpour is aware of alleged eavesdropping by the government on
Ms. Amanpour and we are unable to confirm this story. We are looking into it."
This is on H&C.
You're shocked? Apparently your empathy center is hardened.
.
Blah, blah, blah, blah.... You liberals love to split hairs and argue, especially when you've just laid a big t*rd in the punchbowl. If the cartoonist had any creativity, he could have designed his message without pouring salt on the wounded.
Sore loser. Sour grapes. Get a life. You think Kerry would - could - have handled it better? Dream on. You suck.
What threatening tone? "Disappointed"? Your mother must have indulged you until you were spoiled rotten. Grow up.
I vote for you to leave.
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