Truly excellent! I'll add a link to it from http://www.kerryoniraqwar.com BTW, Kerry's moving up in the polls again. But here in Michigan, things are still tight -- Kerry is leading, but barely. Please, people, volunteer to help the campaign! Though many people don't realize it, door-to-door work -- just plain talking to people -- increases voter turnout *tremendously*. People who had someone come to their door and talk to them are far more likely to vote than people who didn't, and even other family members who weren't home but who hear that someone came are more likely to vote. It can make or break this election.
I have a special reason why I keep posting pro-Kerry stuff here. It was here on FilkerTom's blog that I first saw the news that Kerry had picked Edwards and that we were taking our country back, and I immediately e-mailed all my friends with the news. Kind of the modern, high-tech version of hearing big news down at the soda fountain and running down the street to tell all the neighbors. :)
Maybe it's just me, but I seem to see a disconcerting resemblance between that comic and Chick tracts. In particular, note how often the "bad guys" are drawn not as portraits, but as demonizing caricatures.
This seems to happen a lot in comics that try to convey a message, in a way that it doesn't seem to in prose op-ed pieces, or even in documentary films. Of course, those media have their own ways of demonizing opponents, but they don't seem quite as pernicious as in comics.
I noticed the resemblance myself. Personally, I frown on such propaganda from either side of the fence. After all, isn't one of our main criticisms of the Bush spin-machine that he and his chums are adopting the "Politics of Fear" approach?
Let's not have a double-standard, here.
To be sure, it raises some interesting facts that can and should be used in criticism of Bush, and if Kerry has any backbone, he'll site a few of them in the debates.
Let's stick to the facts, and leave the dogmatic rhetoric to the experts.
In a saner time, I might agree with you both. But, at this point, I'm willing to use almost any rhetorical device to get the facts and the point across, as long as the facts are indeed in order.
And, frankly, I'm sick and tired of Repubs calling Dems for the slightest infraction of mannerly discourse while they themselves routinely lob verbal fragmentation grenades. If the creators of a comic book want to draw Karl Rove as a puppeteer with Dubya as a marionette, when we can see Dubya looking at his talking points taped to the floor during his speeches, or Cheney as a foul-mouthed hunter, they're using exactly the same kind of visual device I'd use a lyrical version of in a song. Political cartoonists do it every single day.
Don't get distracted by the awkwardness of the rough style. We've got to kick their asses.
True, there's a lot of sensationalism in the presentation. One expects that in a comic.
But there are a lot of facts, as well. If you closed your eyes and just let someone read the footnoted facts to you, you'd still get a picture, and it wouldn't be that different from the message being presented.
Tom, have you seen this? Citing concern over hackers, the Pentagon is now blocking international access to the official website that overseas voters, both military and civilian, use in order to register to vote absentee.
"I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country...Corporations have been enthroned. An era of corruption in high places will follow and the money power will endeavor to prolong its reign by working on the prejudices of the people until wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed." -- President Abraham Lincoln, 1864
If you thought that was prophetic, harken back to this:
"Of course the people don't want war. But after all, it's the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it's always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it's a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, and exposing the country to greater danger."
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branchandroot
(no subject)
Date: 2004-09-22 06:35 am (UTC)I have a special reason why I keep posting pro-Kerry stuff here. It was here on FilkerTom's blog that I first saw the news that Kerry had picked Edwards and that we were taking our country back, and I immediately e-mailed all my friends with the news. Kind of the modern, high-tech version of hearing big news down at the soda fountain and running down the street to tell all the neighbors. :)
(no subject)
Date: 2004-09-22 06:42 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-09-22 07:07 am (UTC)It's going to be close unless we get more people to the polls.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-09-22 07:19 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-09-22 07:25 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-09-22 08:11 am (UTC)This seems to happen a lot in comics that try to convey a message, in a way that it doesn't seem to in prose op-ed pieces, or even in documentary films. Of course, those media have their own ways of demonizing opponents, but they don't seem quite as pernicious as in comics.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-09-22 11:31 am (UTC)Let's not have a double-standard, here.
To be sure, it raises some interesting facts that can and should be used in criticism of Bush, and if Kerry has any backbone, he'll site a few of them in the debates.
Let's stick to the facts, and leave the dogmatic rhetoric to the experts.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-09-22 11:39 am (UTC)And, frankly, I'm sick and tired of Repubs calling Dems for the slightest infraction of mannerly discourse while they themselves routinely lob verbal fragmentation grenades. If the creators of a comic book want to draw Karl Rove as a puppeteer with Dubya as a marionette, when we can see Dubya looking at his talking points taped to the floor during his speeches, or Cheney as a foul-mouthed hunter, they're using exactly the same kind of visual device I'd use a lyrical version of in a song. Political cartoonists do it every single day.
Don't get distracted by the awkwardness of the rough style. We've got to kick their asses.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-09-22 12:34 pm (UTC)But there are a lot of facts, as well. If you closed your eyes and just let someone read the footnoted facts to you, you'd still get a picture, and it wouldn't be that different from the message being presented.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-09-22 08:59 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-09-22 12:38 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-09-23 01:47 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-09-22 09:18 am (UTC)"I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country...Corporations have been enthroned. An era of corruption in high places will follow and the money power will endeavor to prolong its reign by working on the prejudices of the people until wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed."
-- President Abraham Lincoln, 1864
(no subject)
Date: 2004-09-22 12:35 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-09-23 10:51 am (UTC)"Of course the people don't want war. But after all, it's the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it's always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it's a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, and exposing the country to greater danger."
-- Herman Goering at the Nuremberg trials
(no subject)
Date: 2004-09-22 03:02 pm (UTC)As much as I'd like to stick it to both of the Big Two and vote for a third-party candidate, they have a longshot's chance at winning.