Cartoonist Gets Death Threats Over Tillman Cartoon

[Kilgor]

NEW YORK — Cartoonist Ted Rall (search) says he has received numerous death threats over a cartoon he did this week that satirized the media's response to the death of Pat Tillman (search), the former pro-football player killed in Afghanistan.



Rall said in an interview Wednesday that he has received about 6,000 e-mails in response to the cartoon, which was distributed Monday. MSNBC.com pulled the cartoon from its Web site, saying it "did not meet MSNBC.com standards of fairness and taste."

The cartoon said that Tillman "falsely believed" that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were linked to the Sept. 11 attacks, and that Tillman was a "cog in a low-rent occupation army that shot more innocent civilians than terrorists to prop up puppet rulers and exploit gas and oil resources."

Rall said the responses to the cartoon started out "extremely negative," with critical responses outweighing positive ones by nearly 100-to-1. But he said the tide has since turned, and now about 80 percent of the reaction has been supportive, which he called "the natural ebb and flow of this kind of thing."

Some 300 of the messages threatened Rall with "death or bodily harm," he said, and he also said he had received several death threats by phone.

Universal Press Syndicate (search), which distributes Rall's cartoons to about 70 newspapers, has received several e-mails from readers who objected to the content of the comic, spokeswoman Kathie Kerr said.

But Kerr also added that the syndicate often receives feedback about the political columnists and cartoonists it carries, which also include Ann Coulter, a conservative commentator, as well as the comic strips "Doonesbury" and "The Boondocks."

Bill O'Reilly had Rall on his program on the Fox News Channel on Tuesday, and the two traded barbs over the cartoon. O'Reilly closed the show by saying that Rall "should be ashamed of what you did to Tillman."

Rall addressed the controversy on his Web site, saying his cartoon was a "reaction to the extraordinary lionizing of Mr. Tillman as a national hero."

He also criticized the media's "decision to genuflect to a cult of death," which he said was "terrifyingly similar to the cult of Palestinian suicide bombers in the Middle East and the glorious coverage given by the Japanese during World War II to fallen kamikaze fighters."

Rall told the AP that a previous comic of his also caused a controversy two years ago with its depiction of widows from the Sept. 11 attacks. He also said that his "average of creating outrage is about one in 400."

"It's not like Bil Keane who does Family Circus," Rall said. "People who buy political cartoons know what they're getting."

Other cartoons have also caused controversy with war-related themes in recent weeks. "Doonesbury" and "Get Fuzzy" both depicted characters that lost a leg in the war.

Tillman's death has also been the subject of controversy elsewhere. The University of Massachusetts in Amherst has been roiled by a student's newspaper column that said Tillman was not a hero but rather a "G.I. Joe guy who got what was coming to him." Graduate student Rene Gonzalez also criticized America's military response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

UMass president Jack Wilson issued a statement saying the comments in The Daily Collegian on Wednesday were "a disgusting, arrogant and intellectually immature attack on a human being who died in service to his country."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,119132,00.html

[chauncy republicans]

I did'nt like the cartoon, but death threats? Sounds a little RADICAL to me. Right wing extremism maybe?:oops:

[MetalBoy]

Ok guys fess up, which ones of you made this guy crap his pants?

[budanski]

Farmgirl isnt as innocent as most think... ;)

[farmgirl]

Farmgirl isnt as innocent as most think... ;)


That's right... and don't you forget it!!! I'll get you, and your little dog too!!! p-)



(okay... so it wasn't really me, but I did think the guy was out of line)

[Fox2]

But he said the tide has since turned, and now about 80 percent of the reaction has been supportive, which he called "the natural ebb and flow of this kind of thing."

And by "natural ebb and flow" I mean "Outlook filters" p-)

[Uninen]

mms://66.232.154.15/050504/oreilly_rall_050404_300.wmv#0;1.000;0;0;1:2;8:2

Copy that, open media player, do "open URL" and watch. If you still think that this guy is "unamerican" or "stupid" or "wrong", then the fault is in YOU. Not in him. :cantbeli:

[Fintin]

LEAVE MY FLUCKING COUNTRY ALONE YOU DIM WHITTED COOKIE EATER

[Apogee]

I guess that right to speech works both ways...

[talib_killa34]

Let the bastard sweat a little.

But harm not a hair on his head.
:slap:

[MetalBoy]

mms://66.232.154.15/050504/oreilly_rall_050404_300.wmv#0;1.000;0;0;1:2;8:2

Copy that, open media player, do "open URL" and watch. If you still think that this guy is "unamerican" or "stupid" or "wrong", then the fault is in YOU. Not in him. :cantbeli:

Hmm... I saw that O'Reilly interview with him, and in my opinion O'Reilly was way to nice to the loser. He didn't shout him down or anything. I guess he has taken some anger management classes, cuz I know I would have blown a gasket over what Rall was saying. But to me Rall seemed pretty ignorant and living in la la land.

Says Mr. Rall

You are not defending your country when you are fighting in Afghanistan

Egyptian Islamic Jihad was the group that planned 9/11

I think it's a great thing that the Taliban are gone, but we replaced world's worst regime with one that's even worse
:cantbeli: :slap:

[anonymous individual]

For him dying might be a little extreme, but I woudn't be sadden about his death over the cartoon.

[Uninen]

And you think that Saddam was bad / evil? rofl
Just look at yourselfs for gods sake! :cantbeli:

[Fintin]

[quote="Uninen"][color=darkblue]And you think that Saddam was bad / evil?quote]

you do relize that saddam looked at hitler as a rollmodel right...oh wait your hitler reborn..sorry

[mobster]

C'mon guys, lets stay on target here. The real villan is the author of this "cartoon", he needs to get the picture that he cannot f*ck with our boys in uniform like that. Instead of posting shameful insults here, take it to his email instead, there you can unload and feel good about it. M.

[Jack Mehoff]

And you think that Saddam was bad / evil? rofl
Just look at yourselfs for gods sake! :cantbeli:


No worry, unlike your role model Saddam, we don't go around murder people and throw them in mass graves.

Also, last time I check freedom of speech works BOTH way.

[mobster]

Jack, it's obvious by this dufus that he's an idiot, screw him and his jihadist muslim buddies...

[Jack Mehoff]

I wish Uninen takes arm and join his Jihad buddies in Fallujah. I'm more than glad to pay my tax money so our boys over there can put a tank round up his ass.

[juhae]

As dozens of "me too"-comments hardly contribute to any form of a public discourse, I'll share my five cents:

He also criticized the media's "decision to genuflect to a cult of death," which he said was "terrifyingly similar to the cult of Palestinian suicide bombers in the Middle East and the glorious coverage given by the Japanese during World War II to fallen kamikaze fighters."
Given the outcry the comic caused, he might even be right, don't you think? Especially considering the death threats he allegedly has received to his private email (I'm not even counting the threats of physical violence in all possible public forums, such as this.)

It's not as important who provocates, but who gets provoked.

[chauncy republicans]

As dozens of "me too"-comments hardly contribute to any form of a public discourse, I'll share my five cents:

He also criticized the media's "decision to genuflect to a cult of death," which he said was "terrifyingly similar to the cult of Palestinian suicide bombers in the Middle East and the glorious coverage given by the Japanese during World War II to fallen kamikaze fighters."
Given the outcry the comic caused, he might even be right, don't you think? Especially considering the death threats he allegedly has received to his private email (I'm not even counting the threats of physical violence in all possible public forums, such as this.)

It's not as important who provocates, but who gets provoked.
I tend to agree with that, however his cartoon did'nt humor me any. If he wants to be taken seriously I would suggest that he find other ways to convey his opinions to people.

[chauncy republicans]

And you think that Saddam was bad / evil? rofl
Just look at yourselfs for gods sake! :cantbeli:
I'm sorry...what should I be looking for...(Takes a deap breath)
I did'nt agree with the war you Bastard! What are you trying to say!?
Am I evil!? If so for what!? You dont know me or what I think is right or wrong, along with many other Americans! I dont agree with a lot of my Govornments policies, and I do criticize them, and listen to what you foreigners have to say and sometimes agree with you, but you just sound like a moron! If you want to debate and criticize my Govornment go ahead, I love debate, Hell I just might agree with what you have to say(I am not pleased with this current Administration) but when you start off on that "look at yourselfs" **** it tends to piss people off and then they could care less what you have to say!

[big_les]

[quote=Uninen][color=darkblue]And you think that Saddam was bad / evil?quote]

you do relize that saddam looked at hitler as a rollmodel right...oh wait your hitler reborn..sorry

I wasn't aware Saddam gave a hoot about Hitler. He idolised Stalin by all accounts. Just check out the mustache ;)

[henksmoeder]

That interviewer guy, do you really think that's objective news?
A true interviewer shouldn't let his own judgement be in the way. He should ask well thought questions instead of judging the guy without even reading his book. Some of the things he says are just plainly rediculous. "You think all the experts are qrong?". F*ck heey, what experts. Politicians are no f*cking experts. THey get their information from advisors and they to have their agenda. The interviewer didn't even give the guy the chance to explain, and he sure didn't do an anger management course, 'cause the interviewer lost all control.

How could you guys even talk about physically abusing some guy with a differing opinion! He is entitled to one even if you don't agree. The most funny thing is that most of the guys who talk about beating this guy up are in fact not nearly 16 or something. How you guys call that? Teen Angst? :petting:

[Jack Mehoff]

How could you guys even talk about physically abusing some guy with a differing opinion! He is entitled to one even if you don't agree. The most funny thing is that most of the guys who talk about beating this guy up are in fact not nearly 16 or something. How you guys call that? Teen Angst

You can't differentiated between constructive criticism and insult? Calling a dead US serviceman an IDIOT is an insult. There is no constructive criticism in that comic, just insults.

Like I said earlier, freedom of speech works BOTH way.

[henksmoeder]

I agree with you Jack, calling someone an idiot is an insult, BUT it's a cartoonist. Just like columnists, they tend to exegarate (spelling :roll: ), so that it has more effect. The right wing cartoonists and columnists probably do the same thing

[Jack Mehoff]

That is not an excuse. I remember a while back when we had a thread about Playstation Navy Seal used fallen Russian soldiers' pictures to advertise their game, BUT that's business, right? :roll:


BUT it's a cartoonist

[DeltaWhisky58]

Come on guys - let's get this in perspective.

The fact that this guy has published some poor-taste cartoons is not what we call appropriate behaviour - correct?

IMO this shows disrespect to both Pat Tillman,the uniform he wore and the country he served. It is totally irelevant that he was formerly a pro-football star, and this should always have been the case. The fact that Tillman gave his life for his country in Afg. should have been enough.

The fact that underneath the celebrity veneer of his former career he was a bog standard M1A1 GI Joe - and I'm sure that's how he saw himself - should have been the point of respect for all, the same as any other allied soldier who dies fighting his country and what he believes in.

It is unfortunate that some moron cartoonist chose to jump onto his story because if his celebrity status, but we should be feeling the same degree of loss and insult to all GI Joes, Squaddies etc. who have died in the war against terrorism, not just Pat Tilman. As for the cartoonist, he is not worthy of further mention.

Before flaming me consider this...........I am not in any way suggesting that Tilman's death is any any less of a loss to the American nation, only that every other allied soldier who dies in action deserves the same level of public loss, rather than suggesting Tillman receive any less.

This may not be the best bit of wordsmithing I have produced, I just hope you all understand what I am trying to convey.

[henksmoeder]

That is not an excuse. I remember a while back when we had a thread about Playstation Navy Seal used fallen Russian soldiers' pictures to advertise their game, BUT that's business, right? :roll:


BUT it's a cartoonist

Well, I really do not condone it, if it's used for commercial purpose (hey, I'm a socialist), but if it's used to shock people out of their trance (at least that's what he believes) it's less bad than for commercial purposes. Sure it's bad taste, and I understand that in the United States it's more shocking, because of the more militaristic culture, but it's just a f*ckin' cartoon. Let him have is opinion and if you find it disrespectful, let the f*ck be, or e-mail him some constructive critisism.

My 2 cents

[TheBlackHand]

Here's Miss Gonzalez' article and some backround info care of EHOWA (http://www.ehowa.com/home.shtml):



Pat Tillman is not a hero: He got what was coming to him

By Rene Gonzalez
April 28, 2004


When the death of Pat Tillman occurred, I turned to my friend who was watching the news with me and said, "How much you want to bet they start talking about him as a 'hero' in about two hours?" Of course, my friend did not want to make that bet. He'd lose. In this self-critical incapable nation, nothing but a knee-jerk "He's a hero" response is to be expected.

I've been mystified at the absolute nonsense of being in "awe" of Tillman's "sacrifice" that has been the American response. Mystified, but not surprised. True, it's not everyday that you forgo a $3.6 million contract for joining the military. And, not just the regular army, but the elite Army Rangers. You know he was a real Rambo, who wanted to be in the "real" thick of things. I could tell he was that type of macho guy, from his scowling, beefy face on the CNN pictures. Well, he got his wish. Even Rambo got shot in the third movie, but in real life, you die as a result of being shot. They should call Pat Tillman's army life "Rambo 4: Rambo Attempts to Strike Back at His Former Rambo 3 Taliban Friends, and Gets Killed."

But, does that make him a hero? I guess it's a matter of perspective. For people in the United States, who seem to be unable to admit the stupidity of both the Afghanistan and Iraqi wars, such a trade-off in life standards (if not expectancy) is nothing short of heroic. Obviously, the man must be made of "stronger stuff" to have had decided to "serve" his country rather than take from it. It's the old JFK exhortation to citizen service to the nation, and it seems to strike an emotional chord. So, it's understandable why Americans automatically knee-jerk into hero worship.

However, in my neighborhood in Puerto Rico, Tillman would have been called a "pendejo," an idiot. Tillman, in the absurd belief that he was defending or serving his all-powerful country from a seventh-rate, Third World nation devastated by the previous conflicts it had endured, decided to give up a comfortable life to place himself in a combat situation that cost him his life. This was not "Ramon or Tyrone," who joined the military out of financial necessity, or to have a chance at education. This was a "G.I. Joe" guy who got what was coming to him. That was not heroism, it was prophetic idiocy.

Tillman, probably acting out his nationalist-patriotic fantasies forged in years of exposure to Clint Eastwood and Rambo movies, decided to insert himself into a conflict he didn't need to insert himself into. It wasn't like he was defending the East coast from an invasion of a foreign power. THAT would have been heroic and laudable. What he did was make himself useful to a foreign invading army, and he paid for it. It's hard to say I have any sympathy for his death because I don't feel like his "service" was necessary. He wasn't defending me, nor was he defending the Afghani people. He was acting out his macho, patriotic crap and I guess someone with a bigger gun did him in.

Perhaps it's the old, dreamy American thought process that forces them to put sports greats and "larger than life" sacrificial lambs on the pedestal of heroism, no matter what they've done. After all, the American nation has no other role to play but to be the cheerleaders of the home team; a sad role to have to play during conflicts that suffer from severe legitimacy and credibility problems.

Matters are a little clearer for those living outside the American borders. Tillman got himself killed in a country other than his own without having been forced to go over to that country to kill its people. After all, whether we like them or not, the Taliban is more Afghani than we are. Their resistance is more legitimate than our invasion, regardless of the fact that our social values are probably more enlightened than theirs. For that, he shouldn't be hailed as a hero, he should be used as a poster boy for the dangerous consequences of too much "America is #1," frat boy, propaganda bull. It might just make a regular man irrationally drop $3.6 million to go fight in a conflict that was anything but "self-defense." The same could be said of the unusual belief of 50 percent of the American nation that thinks Saddam Hussein was behind Sept. 11. One must indeed stand in awe of the amazing success of the American propaganda machine. It works wonders.

Al-Qaeda won't be defeated in Afghanistan, even if we did kill all their operatives there. Only through careful and logical changing of the underlying conditions that allow for the ideology to foster will Al-Qaeda be defeated. Ask the Israelis if 50 years of blunt force have eradicated the Palestinian resistance. For that reason, Tillman's service, along with that of thousands of American soldiers, has been wrongly utilized. He did die in vain, because in the years to come, we will realize the irrationality of the War on Terror and the American reaction to Sept. 11. The sad part is that we won't realize it before we send more people like Pat Tillman over to their deaths.

Rene Gonzalez
rene@student.umass.edu
renegonzalez7@hotmail.com
413-253-9639

http://www.drastic.com/~scottb/misc.stuff/rgonzidiot.jpg

Those horse teeth make a nice target.

[Ballistic]

Sounds like a guy who likes making assumptions when he hasn't a clue what on earth he is talking about, as far as Ranger Tillmans reasons for joining the Army or his reason for serving his nation. If he doesnt like the American patriotism, why doesn't he sod off home to Puerto Rico....oh wait, I forgot, that place is a hole. Good preaching mate, pity your clueless. :bash: