Mike Luckovich for April 20, 2021

ANOTHER killing zone. But it’s not a war zone here. Though, honestly, the Mideast isn’t much like a classic war zone either.

Good to know we’ve spent 20 years training people on military style weapons while putting them through massive stress.

What could go wrong?

.

Thankfully we have plenty of money allocated to help them when they get back.

We do, don’t we?

I wonder how many know who Willie and Joe were. I used to have a couple of Maudlin’s pocketbooks on them.

Popular theme today.

Another cartoon by Bill Mauldin following the JFK assassination: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e3/Mauldin_Lincoln_cartoon.jpg

Excellent work, Mike. Erie Pyle would be proud!

So much police slamming. Will they be replaced by the military? Someone has to keep order. ??

and therein lies the mockery, our cousins will haunt us into the infinity. Mama don’t allow your boy to grow up to be an American, they ain’t got a diddly of sense.

Mike, If ever there was a good reason to resurrect Willy and Joe, this is it. A respectful use. Thank you.

On the “bright“ side, at least it’s not a school this time. Great cartoon!

I remember Willie and Joe!

The Defence Department finally got it.. that work from home that the COVID forced on us can work for the army as well.. With drone technology perfected in Afghanistan America can now easily take out any city they choose from the comfort of an easychair in a basement.

Replace the cops with these guys. They’re much more restrained when it comes to killing unarmed civilians.

bill maudin would be proud

Silly Billy is getting so lonely now in Big Sky Country that he is resorting to random meaningless comments now.

Mauldin’s autobiographical “The Brass Ring: A sort of memoir” is a good history of his art. I really liked how when he had to go to Paris to meet with Patton, he was able to take his Jeep with him on the plane. And basically, Eisenhower sent word down the line to Mauldin that he had Ike’s support and not to worry about Patton’s opinion. When you read about how Patton would have sloppy uniformed men disciplined, you realize how inane he could be.

He had some great stories, like traveling with a General who insisted on visiting the front lines in Italy, where you could get killed. That general did not believe in just relying on what was reported to him by others. Mauldin was scared silly by the risks he took.

It may have been that same general who, at a ceremony for a cemetery for American dead in Italy, turned from the living audience, and addressed the dead, saying he was sorry for decisions which had got them killed. Mauldin was very moved.

Mauldin’s “Up Front” is about the WW2 cartoons, and “Back Home” is about returning home and trying to get on with life.

“Bill Mauldin’s Army: Bill Mauldin’s Greatest World War II Cartoons” is a great collection of Willie and Joe cartoons.

Willie, btw, was a Choctaw. Good for Mauldin to do that, given how many Native Americans served in WW2.

Sorry for the spamming: Chauvin guilty on all 3 counts.

https://www.npr.org/sections/trial-over-killing-of-george-floyd/2021/04/20/987777911/court-says-jury-has-reached-verdict-in-derek-chauvins-murder-trial

Bill Mauldin cartoon on which this is based:

https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=%2bcSIQJgF&id=432CB4D6DCA63D96A3EC29932A252DFAAC540B30&thid=OIP.-cSIQJgFmPwlGBF4_kyYMAAAAA&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2f4.bp.blogspot.com%2f-wUbCCHiz0jE%2fUTGpxW6LcpI%2fAAAAAAAAOxA%2fHHaQ_p10p3I%2fs320%2fBill%2bMauldin%2b-%2bMike%2bKirkpatrick%2b16%2b030213.jpg&cdnurl=https%3a%2f%2fth.bing.com%2fth%2fid%2fRf9c48840980598fc25181178fe4c9830%3frik%3dMAtUrPotJSqTKQ%26pid%3dImgRaw&exph=320&expw=266&q=bill+mauldin+%22Th%27+hell+this+ain%27t+th%27+most+important+hole+in+th%27+world.I%27min+it!%22&simid=608032322539640648&ck=DCA21A665890988C5CD398BA477671F0&selectedIndex=0&FORM=IRPRST&ajaxhist=0

Caption: “Th’ hell this ain’t th’ most important hole in th’ world. I’m in it!”

Took Mauldin’s book of WW2 cartoons with me when I left home as a kid. Not many even get close to what he did.

The cartoonist is Bill Mauldin