With Bush out of office, Dave Rees, the author of the seminal (i.e. fucking awesome et al) "Get Your War On" Cartoons, has retired his pithy Accounts Receivable/Payable clip-art characters.
For me, and many other fans, the absence of the scathingly correct little strips of truth and catharsis has caused an ache I am unable to assuage. I drink heavily now and use many illegal substances. In my frustration, I find myself shouting insults at penguins ("Your suit has an unflattering silhouette!". Just last night, I threatened to pack dolphin-unsafe tuna salads in my wife's lunches.
It's been rough.
Dave's been keepin' it real over on HuffPo, blogginating.
But he's also got the hottest blog on the internet. And today, he made a post I feel is very very trenchant. I like that word, so shut up.
Dave begins by relating his own personal experiences with death threats:
It seems every news story about the AIG bonuses now makes reference to anonymous death threats that are pouring into the company.
I started making left-wing political cartoons one month after 9/11. At that time, most people weren’t exactly pumped to hear someone making fun of the whole idea of a "War on Terror" and calling President Bush an idiot. I got my share of nasty emails. I also received death threats.
Of course, he responded by continuing to do his cartoon and continuing to donate the proceeds to land-mine removal teams in the middle east.
The rest of the post is great, funny, and worth reading. The guy has a knack for the same kind of compassionate comic approach that made Vonnegut so viscerally relatable.
Oh well. Go check it out.