FIRST AMENDMENT
Yes. The First Amendment is applicable. But that does NOT mean we should allow a "Newspaper of Record" to employ someone who would author such a dishonorable, hateful and insensitive cartoon.
If you don't care about this, that's okay. It is YOUR First Amendment right to do so, and I respect your RIGHT not to care.
I care. I am starting a letter writing campaign to make this guy earn his living writing political cartoons for the small town paper that gets published twice a week.
Yes, I am angry about it. Here is the letter I just mailed to the Washington Post. I suggest everyone do the same. I am going to find out who the parent company is (if any) and who the affiliates are who may post cartoons by this person.
Mr. Philip Bennett
Managing Editor, The Washington Post
1150 15th Street NW
Washington, DC 20071
To The Editor of the Washington Post:
I saw cartoon drawn by Tom Toles portraying a wounded, amputee in a hospital bed. I am completely outraged. I understand this is First Amendment material. People are free to say what they like as long as it does not endanger others. But this is indicative of a total lack of decency.
This person (and I use the phrase so loosely to describe someone who would pen such an unthinking, hurtful, inconsiderate, malicious "cartoon") who authored this “cartoon” obviously detests the military. His distaste for them and everything they stand for is evident in this work.
The military, in general, tries to inculcate loyalty, dedication, maturity, work ethic, respect, honor, pride, consideration and thoughtfulness. (Having been in the military, and grown up as the son of a 30-year Naval veteran who now rests in Arlington, I know that this is what the military tries to do. It doesn't always produce the desired result or level of result, but the effort is there)
The person that drew this cartoon, protected by THE LIBERTIES THAT OUR MILITARY FIGHTS, BLEEDS AND DIES FOR, has taken this opportunity to use a horribly wounded military person as a PROP to make a petty partisan political point.
A man, in a bed, with NO ARMS AND LEGS, who, at that stage, cannot feed himself, relieve himself, bathe himself, dress himself, walk, read a book on his own, change a television channel, pick up a phone, use a computer, hug his loved ones or any other number of things the rest of us, including this despicable excuse for a human being who authored this cartoon, take for granted. He has taken the liberty to shower disrespect on the sacrifice that many of our military personnel have suffered, using them as a tool in order to take a passing swipe at political policy he disagrees with.
As a condition for maintaining a continued relationship with your newspaper, I would like to suggest two things that would satisfy me as a reader:
First, require Tom Toles to spend a weekend at Walter Reed Hospital, helping care for the wounded men, particularly those in the Amputee Ward. He should be tasked with feeding them, helping them relieve themselves, and doing any small task they are unable to do for themselves.
Secondly, I ask you to request a sincere, public apology from Tom Toles, which if obtained, should be published prominently in your paper. Barring a public apology, any relationship with this person should be severed.
Remember these words---extreme poor taste ! Beneath contempt!!
Memo to MurryMom--The WaPo has a right to print whatever they want, that's true. And guess what, Mom, the generals also have the same right to tell the WaPo just what they think of their contemptible cartoon. The leftist media in this country operate beneath minimal standards of human decency.
DROP DEAD
Memo to the Editor of the Washington Post:
All your staff's press passes have been cancelled. Get your DoD news from the AP, UPI, and the Net.
Have a nice day.
Love, the Joint Chiefs of Staff
The first amendment also applies to those who want to criticize someone else's speech. In other words, if someone has a free opinion, they should feel free to receive criticism in the form of other free opinions. Now freedom has been covered 3 times over.
FIRST AMENDMENT
Yes, isn't it nice these generals also have the FIRST AMENDMENT to take this papers sorry ass to the wood shed.
Go generals!
Not only are they quite familiar with the First Amendment, they just exercised it. Bothers the heck out of you, doesn't it?
They also protect that amendment, the others, and the Constitution every day. You in no way can say the same, Coward.
Just when we thought you could not possibly sink any lower into your left wing slime, you did. You are not worthy to even utter the words "wounded soldier." You are pathetic.
Feel free to take it personally.
Would you say the same thing if the "cartoon" had make fun of blacks being lynched or gays dying of AIDS? Or if a cartoon had used the "N" word in a degrading way?
Yes, they have the right to print cartoon that are offensive and we have the right to object - and canceel our subscriptions.
Let us review shall we?
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Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
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Somehow there is nothing in there about having to shut up when some cowardly twit insults you. In fact the right NOT to shut up is specifically included.
Perhaps you missed that day in 6th grade. Freedom of speech is guaranteed to the Post, and also to the Generals. If the US Gummint sent the FBI to close down the Post, then the First Amendment would be violated. It is not violated by the Generals writing their opinion to the paper. Is that clear now?
"Memo to the generals -- remember these 2 words:
FIRST AMENDMENT"
Memo back - First amendment
Typical liberal bilge. Saying that a particular example of speech is inappropriate or despicable is not even remotely the same as violating the First Amendment. Are you one of those geniuses who shows up at protests with duct tape on thetre mouths, saying they risk arrest just by "dissenting," i.e., standing there smelling up the place?
You aren't actually posting from American soil, are you?