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The death threats keep coming this fine morning. I guess the Tea Party crew is determined to have “death panels” one way or another. The dustup started because of this cartoon:
“Learn to Speak Tea Bag” ran on my usual client sites, including NPR, which really set off the guys over here, here (note Condi giving child flowers down by "donate" button), here, here and here. Before you could say, “due to a pre-existing condition, your health coverage has been denied,” there was a full-fledged viral campaign by right-wing media outlets and blogs to jump, scream and shout about this animation. Which, to me, is just great!
I say that not because I get some thrill out of receiving emails that are in all capital letters or have more exclamation points than letters in the alphabet, I say that because one of the most important functions of a political cartoon, or political animation, is to foster a discussion. With thousands of comments posted, loads of emails and tweets, discussion was definitely fostered, and then some. It’s the “then some” that worries me.
Of course discussion on the web is not known for its civility, but it finally dawned on me the strangeness of receiving death threats at the same time a crazed Somali extremist tried to kill cartoonist Kurt Westergaard.
Muslim extremist, meet Tea Party extremist. Tea Party extremist, meet Muslim extremist.
That is not to say all people who associate with the Tea Party movement are killers, just as not all Muslims from Somalia are killers. I have very good friends from Somalia, and I have wonderful relatives in Idaho who are pro-gun, anti-government conservatives.
People in this world, my dear Tea Baggers, are not always categorized into easy boxes of Left vs. Right, Socialist vs. Patriot.
As a matter of fact, I myself am a left-leaning, pro-gay-marriage San Franciscan, Catholic, anti-Bush, anti-Nader guy who guts his own fish, has cut down trees with a chain saw and took political science classes with Mary Cheney. Is your head imploding yet?
Surprisingly, one of the aspects of the animation that seems to really enrage the Tea Party set is the term “Tea Bag.” Their claim is that the cartoon uses “bag” instead of “party” in order to take a cheap sexual shot at the Tea Party patriots. You can do your own research on the alternative meaning of “tea bag,” I won’t link to anything here. Oh, except maybe I should link to some Tea Whatever sites that use the very term that appalls them so. Here a bag, there a bag, everywhere a bag bag! (Too bad the sexual angle eliminates any discussion of why the Tea Party crew thinks attempting to reform a disastrous health care system amounts to Socialism, Fascism, Nazism, etc.)
Another aspect of the rabid criticism is that NPR, an organization living high on the hog thanks to the mother’s milk of government (animal metaphors, all around!), should not be funding my anti-Tea Bagger cartoons with taxpayer money. But alas, NPR does most of its villainous work using sponsorship, pledge drives and good ol’ fashioned Capitalism! According to the NPR site, a tiny one to two percent of their yearly funding comes via grants from crazed Socialist organizations like the National Science Foundation, CPB and (gasp!) the NEA. After all is said and done, the amount of taxpayer money that changed hands because NPR posted “Learn to Speak Tea Bag” was about, um . . . two-dollars and twenty-five cents. If you want to dig deeper into NPR’s financial statements, they are publicly available here.
If that sort of taxpayer funding bothers you, you definitely should avoid any taxpayer-funded city streets, return your government-sponsored digital converter box and avoid doing business with any bank that owes its existence to a taxpayer bailout.
To all of you who have written emails and comments, I really wish I could respond to every one of you. I truly appreciate your taking the time to write, even if we may be on different sides of the political fence. If there is one thing that my politically mixed San Francisco/Idaho background has taught me, it is benefit of continuing a discussion even if you don’t agree. Too often these days, the Left and the Right immediately shut down if you are deemed to be from the opposing camp. Here’s to good discussion even if we don’t agree.
Now please don’t kill me :-)
Do Something!
Comments
The wing nuts love free
The wing nuts love free speech if it is dished out by a drug addicted divorced draft dodger taking viagra while molesting underaged non white prostitute kids. Thank God 52% of america figured out they were being scammed!
love your stuff, here's a
love your stuff, here's a gem from the politicallore.com site linked above. Get the feeling the guy isn't real familiar, ir had any contact whatsoever with NPR?
"I don’t watch NPR cause it sucks.
It’s bad news for the american people.
FOLKS, don’t watch NPR, don’t sponsor NPR, write to their
advertiser and threaten to stop buying their products.
Slowly we can squeeze the last breath out of NPR and watch
it go into cardiac arrest."
keep up the excellent work.
keep up the excellent work. i wish you health, safety, wellness, and the courage and humor to keep going.
But it was hilarious! And,
But it was hilarious! And, ever-so-true! Keep safe from the Paliban.
Keep up the good fight.
Keep up the good fight.
GO MARK GO! We already knew
GO MARK GO! We already knew the Conservatives have NO sense of humor.
TOO BAD SO SAD!
Teabaggers = A pathetic bunch of losers working hard to keep the Koch Family super rich! You can fool some of the people ALL of the time!
I'm at work, but will look
I'm at work, but will look at the video ASAP. I'll bet some of your detractors' inspiration are to be found here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m01KdXEp2D0
or here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlp-D_Y1UNo
correct?
In the meantime, as some of these people have the same attitude toward firearms that the Taliban has toward suicide bomb belts, I'd invest in a bullet-proof vest until the storm blows over, and they find a new bogey man to huff and puff about.
Before today, I had no idea
Before today, I had no idea who you were. Now, you've earned a new fan. Great work. Spot on. Very accurately portrays many conversations I've had with Tea Party sympathizers. To them, facts simply don't matter. They respond to facts by yelling "socialized medicine," "death panels" and "kill grandma" louder and louder. Sad, really.
My experience as well. My
My experience as well. My brother in-law thinks Sarah Palin is great. When I asked him why, and he reeled off all the standard answers, I started debunking them one-by-one, as only a person from Wasilla, Alaska well familiar with her record can do. His comment: "I don't care about the facts. She's hot." With logic like that, and catch phrases like the above, it's pretty hard to have an intelligent discussion.
Keep up the good work--I
Keep up the good work--I loved your cartoon! Keep going...but watch your back.
All you issue voters should
All you issue voters should breed and multi-issue children. Maybe they'll actually care about ideas as opposed to identities.
So you're a wishy-washy
So you're a wishy-washy pragmatic condescending centrist LOTE voter? Don't have enough of those around or anything.
What's it like to love being the servant and slave of the Empire? Isn't that what it means to be a winner?
I've admired your work for a
I've admired your work for a long time. Many thanks for bringing some comic enlightenment to the subject of teabaggers and their total, hateful confusion. Nonsensical name-calling--a sad use of language and a waste of precious time that could be spent in reasoned discussion of actual policies.
Stay safe, and many thanks!
Congratulations on doing
Congratulations on doing your job in the correct way and condolences on the sad state of our democracy, in that the opposition can dish it out, but they cannot take it ! What a thin-skinned bunch a whiners ! I hope you are holding up well under the onslaught of vileness. Keep up the good work.
You're the best animated
You're the best animated cartoonist out there! We got your back Mark! Keep up the good work!
Oh the irony ... it burns,
Oh the irony ... it burns, it burns.
These folks are no better than the "terrosists" they decry.
And yes, I know, these folks "don't do" irony. I suspect it is beyond their mental, emotional and spiritual capacities.
Keep up the excellent work. I've enjoyed your cartoons for many years now.
Ms. NPR Ombudsman Thank you
Ms. NPR Ombudsman
Thank you for your call for civility in your piece today.
I agree that we should all respect "NPR values, one of which is a belief in civility and civil discourse."
Just wondering, did I miss a similar column by you when Tea Party activists attacked Congressional Town Hall meetings during the Summer of 2009 with the sole intent of disrupting civil discourse on Health Reform?
Mr. Fiore's satire seems to me a pretty tame response considering the disrespect for civil democracy being displayed by right wing thugs in this country.
Dear talentless liberal
Dear talentless liberal clown,
Having "wonderful relatives in Idaho" hardly translates to a "politically mixed San Francisco/Idaho background". That you cannot reconcile who you are without embellishment is sad, but let he help you: you are a leftist who apparently thinks it fun to attribute your aberrant homosexual sex acts to people with whom you have political disagreement. You are therefore a clown, and to suggest that you insult others in this manner to "foster a discussion" is pathetic.
There is no discussion going on here. There is only the usual juvenile leftist behavior that disqualifies you from being taken seriously.
"Mommy, Mommy, those mean people threatened to kill me"
"Oh, Dear! Why did they do that?"
"I called them all nut-sucking queers."
" ... Uh ... don't do that any more."
Thus goes liberal "discussion".
Dude ... you guys made up
Dude ... you guys made up the term "tea bagger". We didn't.
You guys have a habit of wanting to rewrite history when it is inconvenient. Did you really think you could get away with it in the era of YouTube?
Anonymity is such a nice,
Anonymity is such a nice, safe, heartless hiding spot, Isn't it, you non-US military serving basement dweller, cheeto/beer swiggler? Coward puke
I'm not surprised you chose
I'm not surprised you chose to remain anonymous with that comment.
I get the strong feeling you're a fat, ruddy-faced dreg of humanity with close-set eyes, probably the result of close interbreeding in a socially homogenous and isolated backwater. I'm also guessing you spent most of your adolescence and young adulthood angrily whacking off in private to gay porn, drinking Mountain Dew and listening to talk radio.
Get a life, Cooter. You're have nothing to offer this world.
Signed,
Lars
(See? A real man signs his freaking name.)
Lars you a one tough sob.
Lars you a one tough sob. STFU punk.
Signed Owner of Lars' ass.
We LOVE you Mark! Keep up
We LOVE you Mark! Keep up the great work!!!!!
Patty
Mark--very funny stuff, and
Mark--very funny stuff, and I second the poster below--if these are actual, bona fide "I'm going to kill you" death threats, they should be reported. At the very least, the perpetrators could be charged with criminal mischief.
As for those screaming about the use of the word 'teabag,' here are some quotes:
"Change is coming to Washington in a tea bag!"--Michael Steele, head of the RNC.
"Tea bag the White House!"--Griff Jenkins, Fox News reporter.
--Greg
Yours is one of the keenest
Yours is one of the keenest minds on today's editorial comic landscape. That you're pissing people off serves evidence of your marksmanship. I am appalled by the depths to which the unhinged appear prepared to sink. Please count me as among your enthusiastic supporters who hopes that you courageously keep right on doing what you're doing. Best regards from Oakland, Dave
Mr Fiore, I truly enjoy your
Mr Fiore, I truly enjoy your sense of humor. But please do not take these threats lightly, there are some crazies out there. I hope you have reported these threats. Emails CAN be traced back.
As for the Teabaggers not liking to be called teabaggers--you called yourself that and then wanted to change what you were calling yourselves AFTER you figured it out--too late the joke is on you, taint funny huh?!
Don't let the American
Don't let the American Taliban shout you down, Mark.
Ya call 'em like ya see 'em!
Ya call 'em like ya see 'em! Keep it up, my friend. You're brilliant.
Anyone who stirs up the
Anyone who stirs up the dimwitted teabaggers is aok in my book :)
Thank you. Great piece of
Thank you. Great piece of animation. Very appropriate.
you're an excellent
you're an excellent translator- just what we need here.
You could also try:
- Fox News
- a.m. talk radio
- Michael Steele's newsletters
more advanced:
- WSJ editorials
- Sarah Palin's utterances
Brilliant. And so true - I
Brilliant. And so true - I can't remember a point in history where an American political party has been so literally hijacked by outright insane people. Like literally "Please put them in a hospital for the safety of the general populace" batsh*t insane.
Great job, and keep 'em coming. I haven't seen your stuff until now, but I'll be sure to keep checking back now! :)
Don't kill Mark, his brain
Don't kill Mark, his brain is sexy and he makes me laugh.
Mark, spiffy cartoon! I was
Mark, spiffy cartoon!
I was just pilloried on Twitter yesterday afternoon for calling Tea Baggers what they call themszelves. The OED and Wikipedia say this is a name that Olbermann and Maddow "made up derisively." So your links were much appreciated.
1984, anyone?
Some of the same people that
Some of the same people that are making the death threats are probably Pro-life, what a joke!... I forgot, to them life begins at conception and ends at birth.
Great work Mark... Keep'em
Great work Mark... Keep'em coming and don't let the Talibaptist get ya down... of for that matter get ya.
Gawd! Did O'Reilly even
Gawd! Did O'Reilly even read the linked article from NRO? I doubt it. I confess I learned about the teabag slur from Sullivan's blog. Perhaps when the teabaggers stop calling Obama a Socialist, Nazi, Muslim, etc. and the Democratic Party the Democrat Party I'll stop calling them teabaggers.
Meanwhile, I WANT MY COUNTRY AND FREEDOM BACK!!
Thank you Mark! Keep up the
Thank you Mark! Keep up the good work.
Perhaps they (the so-called, by themselves no less, teabaggers) need to relax, sit down, and actually drink some of that tea. :-) Then, inhale and exhale a few times.
Definitely a tempest in a teapot!
"Muslim extremist, meet Tea
"Muslim extremist, meet Tea Party extremist. Tea Party extremist, meet Muslim extremist."
They've already met, on the War On Terror battlegrounds of the world.
-- The Sanity Inspector
Just thought I'd post the
Just thought I'd post the NPR Ombudsman's take on this cartoon.
www.npr.org/ombudsman
what seems so sorely lacking is civility on both sides.
Alicia Shepard
NPR Ombudsman
Yes, because the left has a
Yes, because the left has a group of militant people showing up at public events with guns calling for the assassination of the president... oh, wait, we on the left don't have that.
This is once again those sad attempts to "balance" things when the reality is that members of the right is outright calling for the death of people with the blessing of media personalities.
Sorry is reality is not "balanced" this way, but the people on the right are a lot more uncivil and actively encouraging acts of violence and murder.
If you do a little searching
If you do a little searching on the internet, you will come up with signs from the Bush era anti-war protests that depict Bush hanging or being shot in the head, as well as using Nazi imagery.
Do you not remember that there was a movie made about the fictional assassination of George Bush while he was still in office? If someone were to make that movie about Obama, the cries of "racism" would be deafening...but what's the difference?
provide links or it didn't
provide links or it didn't happen.
Meanwhile the owner of the Free Republic site has called for a second american revolution:
http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/34227_Free_Republic_Founder_Call...
Show, don't tell!
Show, don't tell!
Mark, keep up the good
Mark, keep up the good work!!!
Good job. Now if only our
Good job. Now if only our "reporters" and "journalists" pointed out some of these facts and contradictions. Too bad we have to rely on humorists (you, Stewart) for any real analysis anymore.
And, just to get on the band wagon: GOOD JOB !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The coverage did originate
The coverage did originate with Political Lore Blog...
http://politicallore.com/blog/?p=874
Congratulations! You're
Congratulations!
You're always on point, but this one particularly shines. Excellent work, Mark.
Considering you compare your
Considering you compare your death threats to Westergaard, I'm assuming someone tried to break into your house with a weapon. If that is the case, I'm certainly glad you are ok. There is no justification for that type of behavior.
!!!!!!!!! I LOVE YOUR
!!!!!!!!! I LOVE YOUR WORK!!!!!!!!!
I think that was more exclamation points than letters. And all caps. Enjoy.
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