Newsgroup: it.politica.internazionale
Titolo: Vignette che offendono

La vignetta e' nell'articolo.  Non incita all'odio di una razza o di
una religione.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/01/AR2006020102465.html
Joint Chiefs Fire At Toles Cartoon On Strained Army
By Howard Kurtz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, February 2, 2006; C01
In a protest with an unusual number of high-level signatures, the
chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and each of its five members have
fired off a letter assailing a Washington Post cartoon as "beyond
tasteless."
The Tom Toles cartoon, published Sunday, depicts a heavily bandaged
soldier in a hospital bed as having lost his arms and legs, while
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, in the guise of a doctor, says:
"I'm listing your condition as 'battle hardened.' " Toles said he meant
no offense toward American soldiers.
The letter to The Post, signed by Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the
Joint Chiefs, the vice chairman and the service chiefs of the Army,
Navy, Marines and Air Force, said: "We 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 . . .
"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." The letter, which a reporter obtained
from the Pentagon, is being published today.
The cartoon is based on remarks that Rumsfeld made last week. In
rejecting warnings by a Pentagon-sponsored study that the Iraq war
risks "breaking" the Army, he said the U.S. military is "battle
hardened" and an "enormously capable force." At the bottom of the
cartoon, in smaller type, Rumsfeld says: "I'm prescribing that you be
stretched thin. We don't define that as torture."
In an interview, Toles called the letter "an understandable response"
but said he did not regret what he drew. In thinking about Rumsfeld's
remarks, he said, "what came soon to mind was the catastrophic level of
injuries the Army and members of the armed services have sustained . .
. I thought my portrayal of it was a fair depiction of the reality of
the situation.
"I certainly never intended it to be in any way a personal attack on,
or a derogatory comment on, the service or sacrifice of American
soldiers."
As for the Joint Chiefs' letter, he said: "I think it's a little bit
unfair in their reading of the cartoon to imply that is what it's
about."
Fred Hiatt, The Post's editorial page editor, said he doesn't "censor
Tom" and that "a cartoonist works best if he or she doesn't feel
there's someone breathing over their shoulder. He's an independent
actor, like our columnists." Hiatt said he makes comments on drafts of
cartoons but that Toles is free to ignore them.
Asked about Sunday's cartoon, Hiatt said, "While I certainly can
understand the strong feelings, I took it to be a cartoon about the
state of the Army and not one intended to demean wounded soldiers."
Dave Autry, deputy communications director for Disabled American
Veterans, said he was "certainly not" offended by the cartoon.
"It was graphic, no doubt about it," he said. "But it drove home a
point, that there are critically ill patients that certainly need to be
attended to."
Toles, who won a 1990 Pulitzer Prize for the Buffalo News and joined
The Post in 2002, said he expected criticism for drawing the quadruple
amputee, as he does for about two-thirds of his efforts.
"It is the nature of cartooning that someone can read an analogy a
cartoon uses to mean things other than what was intended," Toles said.
"The only way to avoid that problem is to draw cartoons that have no
impact."

 "I'm listing your condition as 'battle hardened.' " 
Buona.
Palmiro Pangloss
-- 
Giuliano Ferrara for SISMI

Toles said he meant no offense toward American soldiers.
Doveva pensarci prima di disegnare simili idiozie.
-Stefano