Ted Rall for November 12, 2009
Transcript:
The Taliban scratches their heads after one of their own goes berserk at one of their training camps. (Man: He killed 13 of his fellow soldiers. Why? No one knows.) His fellow warriors search for answers. (Man 2: He was nuts. And/or brain-washed by evil foreign propaganda.) (Man 3: You expect to lose guys in a foreign hellhole like new york. not here in the best, most peace loved nation ever.) As expected, Sheikh Osama rocks the nationally-televised memorial service. (Man: Some were seasoned Jihdis. Others were kids training to be suicide bombers. They were dads, sons, etc. All were innocent. All were heroes.) Finally, confused resolve carries the day. (Man: Ladies and gents: Mullah Omar!)
It’s an analogy, not relativism. Although I suppose art assumes its own meanings beyond what the cartoonist originally intended.
Anyway, yes, the shooting victims were not “all heroes,” as Obama claimed. They were victims. Of what, we don’t know yet: derangement? terrorism? politics? gun violence? all of the above?
What I’m trying to showcase here is the cheesy memorial services that follow such tragedies, not to mention Americans’ seemingly limitless ability not to get a clue about ourselves or anyone else. For Obama to express shock that this sort of thing shouldn’t happen here in the States–while his drone planes are raining death on Pakistanis–is obscene. And “they” hate us for it.