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."
If President Bush had a highly developed sense of honor, he would pull the White House press credentials of the WashCompost until an apology from the publisher, the editor and the vile cartoonist was published on the front page.
Oh, the chill this will have on freedom of the press! I need a hug! (psych!)
I gotta say, they don't amuse me any more. We have elections, they mean things, there are consequences to them, yet all we hear about is the "POLLS" and what some dumba$$ commie "journalist" thinks. I'm more than sick of it!
"Leadership is not about polls. It's about making decisions... ...and then standing behind those decisions. That's why America is safer with George W. Bush."
Yes! Arnie on September 3, 2004. ;*) Good one!
I pray Bush will do exactly as you suggested. This is beyond the pale and downright unforgivable.
LMAO !!.....You "were" polite and that alone is impressive, glad to see the new meds have kicked in ......:o)
New 50GI, 1911A1 from Guncrafters Inc arrived at my local gun runners shop this AM......Pick it up in the AM !
Whoooo Hooooo ! Now I can live up to your claim that I am a big bore !
I'm outta here....off to the salt mines again !
Stay safe my friend !
BTW ....great little site for reading !
http://airbornecombatengineer.typepad.com/airborne_combat_engineer/weapons_firearms/
Right....I support you dying and being dismembered in war I don't support.
Toles is a total turd.
The exit polls were good evidence to me that I should never listen to polls. That reminds me of someone's tagline. "When the MSM wants your opinion, they'll give it to you." I don't know whose tagline that was but it was funny. Thanks for filling out the Arnie quote for me. I was trying to do that from memory. It was one of my favorite quotes from the RNC Convention.
what the hell kind of name is Aravosis...Greek? (no pun intended)
another miserable liberal cakeboy projecting on the rest of us
They WERE at the gates of Walter Reed Army Medical Center. They have now been pushed down the street where they are unseen by our heroes and their families.
The media showed up a couple times. Even though the DC Chapter of FR outnumbered the pinkos 4-1, we received very little coverage. Once they realized the report drove OUR numbers up and shamed the pinkos, they quit coming.
It has all been videotaped by members of DC Chapter of FR!
LOL To me it's more like "I symapthize with your injuries but more than that, I am glad to have them as a tool against the war I disapprove of."
I hope He has other plans for Mr. Toles.
Yes, it "comes" from government data sources. Which is not to say the analysis is fair and accurate. By leaving other government data sources out, it's quite possible to use only official government data sources and slant things any way you wanted.
The bottom line is terrorists are being killed in droves, and not one but two huge Middle Eastern anarchistic, barbarous and dangerous countries are being converted to democracies and stability in what, 3-4 years? That is an unprecedented achievement. We lost 2500+ in Afghanistan and Iraq. We're sad but proud, just as those who died would want us to be. They did this so no more Americans would have to die in skyscrapers and airplanes. They have paid the price but won the goal.
Ask most troops what they think about Bush and Rumsfeld and I'd say their approval ratings would be in the high 70s.
Glad yer keeping an eye on this too.
How ya doing?
John Aravosis is a Washington veteran. As a lawyer, writer and political strategist, he has provided counsel on political, technological, and legal issues to the federal government, non-profit organizations, the media and private industry.
Before starting Wired Strategies, Aravosis served as the "online organizer" at the Children's Defense Fund (CDF). At CDF, John Aravosis devised and implemented the online strategy for the successful CHILD Act campaign, gaining the passage of a new $24 billion federal program to assist uninsured children. He was also responsible for creating and managing one of the nation's earliest, largest and most effective child advocacy email/fax networks -- providing policy information and action steps to over 5,000 child advocacy organizations, media representatives, government agencies and concerned citizens from Tennessee to Tanzania.
having served five years as a legislative attorney for US Senator Ted Stevens, and assisting on the campaigns of Senators Ted Kennedy and Chuck Robb.
Wired Strategies' current and past clients include the US Department of State, the US Department of Health and Human Services, the United States Information Agency, Priceline.com, MicroStrategy, Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, the Widmeyer-Baker Group, the Georgetown University Law Center, the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, America's Promise, the National Education Association, the American Civil Liberties Union, and AFSCME.
John Aravosis has a Juris Doctor and Master's in Foreign Service (1989) from Georgetown University (where he studied under former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright), a degree from the University of Paris, and a BA in Rhetoric from the University of Illinois.
John Aravosis is an influential United States gay activist and blogger. Aravosis, a former attorney who lives in Washington, D.C., is the founder of Americablog and a co-founder of StopDrLaura.com.
Aravosis is a lawyer and worked on Capitol Hill as a foreign policy advisor for a Republican Senator in the 1990s before becoming a Democratic activist.
In 2005, Aravosis outed Jeff Gannon as a gay male prostitute while Gannon (real name James Guckert) was working as a White House reporter for the right-wing group Talon News.
Also in 2005, Aravosis became engaged in a fight with the right-wing seniors group USA Next over copyright violations in a highly controversial web advertisement that appeared to link gay marriage and anti-military stances to opposition Republican plans to change Social Security. USA Next failed to secure copyright for the picture it used in the web ad.
He also hosts a show on DemsTV that aims to fight the far right.
I NEVER to polls or the enemedia without the FR analysis. ;*)
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