This kind of deep dive into delicate diplomacy reminds me of the retreat to the reset position of playing the ace card of absolute authority--a desperation tactic which I frequently witness being pulled out and thrown down by Mormons and other dictatorial types in their valiant but fruitless effort to:

1) silence ideas they don't like;

2) fire and ban those who dare disagree with them; or

3) put those with whom they have issues into the lower levels of societal non-acceptance where they belong.

Sprinkled in among these demands are, of course, various go-to expletives mixed in with further orders that I:

1) leave the country;

2) admit that this here is America where I am a scatalogically-infected non-human invader;

3) publish my cartoons according to their topic preference,as well as according to the roll-out schedules that they think are appropriate;

4) improve my level of patriotism; and

5) subject myself to some measured (but mostly screaming) telephone hang-ups from those who choose to call instead of write.
_____


--Got the following correspondence from Complainer #1:

"Maybe if you paid 25k a year with a 7k deductible for your heath care in Arizona you'd have a different view point. You truly are a stupid b*****d.

"Sincerely,

"[name deleted]"


--My reply:

"The cartoon is a metaphor . . . [that] . . .use[d] the healthcare debate (which [the president] is beginning to lose even among Republican members of Congress).

"Maybe if you knew how cartoons use symbols to make their points, you’d have a different point of view.

"And since you apparently can’t communicate without falling back on profanity, you are being blocked."
_____


--From Complainer #2:

"[The] President . . . is your president also. Show some respect."


--My reply:

"Using your argument, [the immediate past president] was your president, as well. Did you ever 'disrespect' him by openly criticizing him and/or by expressing the opinion that you wish he were not in office?

"On a constitutional note, where in the U.S. Constitution does it declare that because a candidate has been elected president of the country, all citizens must therefore show him due 'respect' as you define the term--especially when those citizens would include persons who voted against him? Please cite the relevant Article, Section and Clause that require expressions of mandatory respect of the president.

"Furthermore, as a matter of basic civics, the U.S. Constitution allows for the president to be impeached, convicted and removed from office after conviction for treason, bribery, high crimes or misdemeanors, as set forth in Article 1, Section 2, Clause 5-7 and Article 2, Section 4. In addition, under the 25th Amendment, the president can constitutionally vacate the office through resignation or due to the inability to discharge the powers and duties of the office.

"Thanks for writing."
_____


--From Complainer #3:

"Dear Mr. Benson, I just wanted to tell you how disappointed I was in your cartoon this past [week]. Although it was a pleasant break from your obsession with [the president]. I just hate to see such disrespect for service members. The posting of nude pictures will no doubt be dealt with by the military as it should be, however it was such a small percentage of our service members the slam was on all who wear the uniform.

"I am a Veteran of the Vietnam war. When I came home we were treated with total disrespect. I promised myself I would not ever let that happen again without speaking up. Many in uniform have suffered and died so that you can do what you do. It is your right I understand, however it is my right to disagree as well.

"I did not cast my vote for [the president], but to wish him failure is pretty ridiculous I think. Your constant attack is getting old. If there was any alternative to [your newspaper] I would take it. I delivered this paper over 55 years ago. It was better then, reported news, and a lot less opinions.

"Sincerely

"[name deleted]"


--My reply:

"The cartoon [on sexual misconduct among American service personnel] was based on the latest sexual scandal hitting certain branches of the U.S. military. The posting of nude pictures needs to be publicly decried and appropriately punished.

"I do not draw my commentary to appease whatever sacred cows others may have--and that includes [the president] and sex abusers. Trump is pathetically unqualified to serve as president and service members who engage in sexist exploitation of women are equally unqualified to serve.

"None of what I draw is 'old.' It is based on current, topical and breaking news. It is not my job to draw the opinions of others or to publish them according to their dictated time schedules. My drawings represent my views, are signed as such, and appear on the opinion pages.

"I appreciate your service. I was in the Vietnam lottery in 1972 but was not called up. I was a fully-sworn cop. I understand the Constitution and was sworn to uphold it. That means protecting the right of people to express themselves in ways with which I may disagree and to do so according to when they wish to speak.

"Thanks for writing.

"P.S--Thanks you for delivering the paper when you did. The paper still reports news and it still publishes opinions, just as the newspaper did 55 years ago. The news appears in the news section and the opinions appear in the opinion section. I am in favor of not limiting people’s venues for expressing their personal opinions. That is what we do in America--with relish and resolve."
-----


Oh, and I almost forgot to mention what prompted all of the above (with a second trigger point added later in the day when another critic wrote to opine on two different drawings in the same email):

http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/f6ad8059d03811e87d1d5d880c10a639e8db31b5/c=0-41-3661-2794&r=x513&c=680x510/local/-/media/2017/03/15/Phoenix/Phoenix/636252152008251420-benson-cartoon-repeal.jpg

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/c9e67dcedf2d2ab12ae753c4b3de320460f19c2a/c=0-315-3598-3020&r=x513&c=680x510/local/-/media/2017/03/14/Phoenix/Phoenix/636251325575838765-benson-cartoon-military-scandal.jpg



Edited 17 time(s). Last edit at 03/16/2017 10:35PM by steve benson.

Thanks for the final link. I had already looked up and viewed a number of your drawings at GoComics. Several of them could qualify, not that I disagree with any of them I saw.

follow cartoons. The commentators there engage in vigorous discussions, often disagreeing with each other, which keeps the place lively and interesting.

A colleague of mine, Cal Grondahl (a lapsed returned Mormon missionary who once worked at the "Desperate News" as its editorial cartoonist, then left because one Thomas S. Monson objected to his work), explained to me what doodlers do in a way that is an unforgettable image (That's important, since we tend to be visual in our expressions and how we "see" the world).

He said:

"Editorial cartoonists throw the first punch in a bar fight, then stand back and watch everyone else join in."

Let's get ready to RUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMBLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLE!!!



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 03/16/2017 04:56PM by steve benson.

My #1 favorite part of the whole internet is the comment section, after or under news articles.

Those who are ultra-smart get me stalking for their other gems.

This rabbit hole habit makes my life diverse, exciting and weird.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMSIi6yDlLA

You Tube videos have some of the best wisdom written beneath them, but you have to read through about 20 hours to get a single line that changes your life, forever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NANrihEaSFo

Hey Steve one of your threads got maxed out to 60 just giving you a heads up just in case you wanted to respond to anybody on that thread like the lawyer guy. Its the freezing thread about trump.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/17/2017 05:27AM by steve benson.