Editorial cartoonist suggest that Obama is very much like Hitler

[sasquatch]

Mike Lester is one of Yahoo's featured editorial cartoonist on its comics page. I think Yahoo needs to hire someone else for its comic page and not someone who incites violence against the president of the United States by comparing him to Hitler.

[Arkana]

1. You think that's bad?

Check out some of Lester's early Obama cartoons. It'll make you almost literally nauseous, they're so goddamn awful.

Him, Brett Noel, Chuck Asay, and Bruce Tinsley are absolute wastes of flesh.

[mnhtnbb]

2. This is down the rabbit hole it's so nuts.

Look at the goals: fairness, equality, social justice, economic prosperity. Teaching our children
to respect those goals is like Hitler? Hitler stood for white supremacy, racism, social injustice
and inequality and he was willing to wage a World War and gas millions of people to bring about
the supremacy of the Third Reich.

It's a sad day that Americans know so little history that they can't effectively critique a cartoon
this nuts.

:wtf:

[sasquatch]

5. I think we have a winner ladies and gentlemenf

I think the words fairness, equality, social justice, economic prosperity for all in a right wingers eyes are just the worst things in the world in the eyes of a right winger. Since in the eyes of the rest of the world Hitler was the worst thing in the world, most right wingers copy that imagery when speaking of Obama. They tend to leave the background story out of the conversation though.

[sam sarrha]

15. it is just Freeper fools seeking their 10 seconds of fame in the Glamor of Evil

[JonQ]

48. Because that is all it says

it doesn't equate all those notions only with one charismatic leader.

Strong national defense, powerful economy, national unity, working towards a brighter tomorrow. What's wrong with those things? Nothing really. Of course if you attribute them and all your hopes and dreams towards one person that tends towards fascism. I am not a fan of fascism personally, I see many problems with it, the development of a cult of personality around individuals (putting all your hopes and dreams in a person rather than a government, or set of rights) is not the least of those problems.

Also the part where it replaces the original "jesus" with barack obama, that just made my skin crawl.

Next we should teach kids to thank obama for the meals they eat, and pray to him before they go to bed. Those are all signs of a healthy democracy. :eyes:

If we're to teach kids anything about politics I'd rather we err on the side of healthy skepticism rather than hero-worship.

[JonQ]

3. "Incites violence against the president by comparing him to hitler"

Good thing no one ever did that to any other president before.

[sasquatch]

6. I'm not saying we should arrest and charge Lester the molester, I thik he shouldn't be on a

for profit website. Also there's a dead census worker in Kentucky, that was murdered because of right wing propaganda from Michelle Bachman saying Obama would use the census to round up dissenters like the Nazi's did, would happen to tell that speech like this does tend to incite violence.

[JonQ]

7. You know that for sure?

Last time I heard they hadn't found the killer.

This was in a region known for moonshining and now illegal drug production, where feds are routinely shot at and despised.


It could be a rightwing extremist worried about the census, but that's far from the only possibility.

Hell, if you really wanted to kill this guy for personal reasons (unrelated to his job, he nailed your wife for instance) waiting until he was at work to do it, then painting "fed" on him would be an amazing way to distract attention away from other motives. As it seems to be doing.

[Cha]

12. That's fucking toucing that you're sticking up for the fucking

asshole bush.

[JonQ]

16. I think you could have used "fucking" a few more times

you really need to step it up.

[Posteritatis]

50. Gave me a bit of a Boondock Saints flashback

"Well, he certainly illustrates the diversity of the word.."

[DevonRex]

39. What the FUCK? You defend this? Perhaps you lost your way

somewhere on the intertubes.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

40. Did you condemn it when they called Bush a nazi and a racist?

[DevonRex]

41. Let's see. The Bush family made millions off of Hitler. And Bush IS a racist.

Your point?

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

43. You made it for me thanks.

[JonQ]

47. BUSH IS HITLER!!!!!!!!!!!

Calling obama hitler is an incitement to violence, and should not be tolerated. It should carry a legal penalty (death, or possibly just life in prison).

If you can maintain both these thoughts in your head simultaneously and see no issue with them, congrats. You are a hypocrite.

[NightWatcher]

4. cartoon dated June 09, event happened in Feb 09

Have you ever seen a crowd who runs with their talking points with such blind regard.

[sasquatch]

17. No, not really

[notesdev]

8. Guys

it's creepy teaching little kids to praise a politician, and absolutely unacceptable that it is done with public dollars that are spent in lieu of actually teaching them something useful.

If this was a year or two ago, and it was Bush they were taught to praise in song, nobody here would have any trouble seeing the parallels.

[sasquatch]

13. Actually Bush did do it on Easter 2006 with survivors of Hurricane Katrina

[JonQ]

18. That's different

under bush it would be a chilling sign of impending fascism.

Under obama it is a spontaneous expression of love for the leader based not on indoctrination but a genuine outpouring of emotion from these students.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

22. Now that's funny.

[Dreamer Tatum]

23. +1

Anyone who can't admit that this would spur 1,000 threads on DU had this been done on Bush's behalf is kidding themselves.

[SOS]

34. Neither

If a teacher taught six-year-olds to sing a song of praise about Bush, only one person is accountable: the teacher.
Same with this case.

The Hitler parallels are ludicrous.
The "Heil Hitler" greeting was made mandatory by the Reich Interior Minister in 1933.

If Bush or Obama made singing a song of praise mandatory by executive order, we would have a real parallel to Nazi Germany and a real cause for concern.

But understanding the difference between a government mandate and the actions of one teacher is a distinction lost on most right-wing morons.

[tammywammy]

51. +1

[EmilyAnne]

38. Ok. That teacher shouldn't do it again.

Next.

[JonQ]

42. Do you think she should be fired?

Or penalized in some other way?

Or merely reprimanded in some other way?

Also, do you think your opinion would be different if she were teaching kids to sing praise songs about w?

I think this is frankly very creepy and a sign of a sick mind (the teacher).

[EmilyAnne]

45. If that song is the sign of a "sick mind," you have apparently led an incredibly sheltered life. nt

[JonQ]

46. Feeling the need to indoctrinate children

with your political views, via an emotion driven hero worship of your favorite politician is a sign of a sick mind, absolutely. Teach the kids to read, not adore politicians.

And you didn't answer.

[EmilyAnne]

49. Then the entire population of the United States has a "sick mind." Come on. The teacher got caught

up in the excitement of the first black president.

People who see such sinister intentions in innocent deeds are truly sick.
Using the word "indoctrinate" in place of "teach" doesn't change the facts nor the intent of the teacher.
Neither does using the word "worship" in place of "admire" or "be inspired by."
And who says that the children aren't also being taught to read.

And to answer your question, no I wouldn't like children to be taught a song that praises George W. Bush as part of Black History Month.
Would I want a teacher who did such a thing fired?
Of course not.
Nor would I think the teacher has a "sick mind" or was "indoctrinating" children to "worship" Bush.

Your fantastically hyperbolic way of interpreting this story reminds me of the sermons I grew up listening to.
I love the language and its orchestrated, emotional highs and lows.
But, its still bull shit.

[JonQ]

53. It's sad that you don't see what is going on

you're blinded by your ideology.

Had this been about bush you would likely have gone nuts and demanded a head on a pike.


Oh well, enough people do see what is wrong with these sorts of things are rare and unpopular.

[Lucy Goosey]

9. Check out this gem of Lester's from February

Comparing Obama to cult leader Jim Jones



Stay classy, Mike Lester. :eyes:

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

10. I guess we better go back and fire most of the cartoonist that worked during the Bush administration

Bush was routinely compared to Hitler, it didn't incite anyone to violence then and it's not going to now.

[sasquatch]

19. Oh really, with the exception of that crazt ass Ted Rall, no mainstream guys ever did

Besides are crowd doesn't have a long violent streak like they do.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

21. A quick search reveals a very different reality.

http://semiskimmed.net/bushhitler.html

[JonQ]

27. Maybe they were refering to a different hitler

Like Adolf Lu Hitler Marak, the indian politician.

Or Chenjerai "Hitler" Hunzvi, the zimbabwean revolutionary.

Those were the first two I thought of when bush was called hitler.

But with accusations against obama I immediately thought adolf hitler, the bad one, and it made me consider acts of violence. Those subsided, but the initial response was almost overwhelming, and uncontrollable.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

29. Despite your best efforts, some people still can't see the hypocrisy.

[JonQ]

35. I know

I've mostly given up hope of convincing anyone.

Now I'm just having fun with it.

[notesdev]

33. If Hitler references caused violence...

we'd all be dead by now.

Glad to make the acquaintance of someone else who can recognize hypocrisy! And here I thought my amusement at the polarity shift here was to be just my own private joke...

Dissent is:

pick one:
a) the highest form of patriotism
b) capitulation to terrorists
c) capitulation of patriotic terrorists

[JonQ]

36. Trick question!

The answer depends on the little letter (R or D) after the name of the person in the whitehouse.

[sasquatch]

30. I still don't see any mainstream cartoonist on that list though

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

32. Boondocks isn't mainstream?

[JonQ]

37. And are cartoonists

more relevant than editorialists, or reporters?

I'd be less concerned with bias shown in political cartoons than in those other two professions.

[rug]

11. Today's Doonesbury fixes that.

http://www.gocomics.com/doonesbury/

[sasquatch]

14. I saw that, it was teh awesome

[laughingliberal]

25. That was great! nt

[Posteritatis]

52. Niiiiice! (nt)

[gtar100]

20. Notice how they have to resort to *fiction* in order to support their point of view.

How stupid.

Just look at the values this jackass cartoonist denigrates:

• All of us lending a hand to make this country strong.

• Equal pay for equal work.

• Taking a stand to ensure everyone gets a chance.

• Not to judge by the color of one's skin.

So this is what repugs want to say they are against? Hey it's their legacy and reputation at stake. This time they will not silence liberals and progressives. This time they are being called out on their stupidity and selfishness. Keep calling them out. The light of day will destroy this nonsense once and for all. Thanks for posting.

[Dreamer Tatum]

24. No, it's the indoctrination of children that is at issue

And if you look at the video, it is actual indoctrination.

Are you now in charge of deciding what's appropriate to indoctrinate children with, and if so, at what point did it become your right to provide political guidance to children?

[JonQ]

28. I'm pretty sure most everyone in charge of indoctrinating children

throughout history has been certain they were telling them the "right" things to believe and thus preventing them from having "wrong" beliefs.

[sasquatch]

31. +1

[LTR]

26. So, there is a worse cartoonist than Michael Ramirez

[BlooInBloo]

44. It's funny because DUers STILL believe right wingers on this.