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I mailed this letter this morning. I urge everyone to write a letter via snail mail and send it.

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.