(Cartoonist's note: In 1992, I drew the cartoon at left as the Racine branch of the American Family Association was pressuring the local health department to stop distributing free condoms to patients coming in for AIDS and STD testing. The R-AFA argued that condoms are not 100% effective in preventing STDs, only abstinence is -- as if good intentions are stronger than latex.)
To the editor:
The destructive political cartoon in Wednesday's paper was a disgrace. Not only did it promote condoms and scoff at sexual abstinence, but it ridiculed a good and moral man and, by implication, a large segment of our community.
We don't even know John Kalashian, but we take grave exception to his being the target of some young, self-indulgent cartoonist whose hedonistic outlook allows no room for morals.
The thoughtless, juvenile cartoon is an effort to corrupt the morals of the community, and it tries to belittle anyone promoting morals and self-control, like Mr. Kalashian.
The Journal Times did not cover itself in glory by publishing such a cheap shot.
Glenn and Suzanne Pfeiffer
(Me again: Do you see Mr. Kalashian's name anywhere in the cartoon? More on the Pfeiffers later.)
To the editor:
The Journal Times cartoon in the Wednesday, April 8, edition was really a cheap shot at John Kalashian, absolutely hitting below the belt. The smart aleck who drew it, needless to say, doesn't rate very high in my opinion.
I'm stupefied that the Journal Times would print such unfair ridicule of one of Racine's stalwart citizens. John Kalashian is a man the young people of Racine can look up to, and I hope the citizens of Racine don't live to rue the day they failed to back John in giving young Racinians the leadership they so badly need.
The Journal Times owes John Kalashian an apology.
Roman Brook
(Cartoonist's note: In 1997, the American Family Association and allies launched a petition drive to recall Wisconsin's two Democratic senators for having voted against a Republican bill to outlaw all so-called "partial birth abortions." Locally, their petition drive was hurt by following so closely on the heels of a bitter recall election against Republican State Senator George Petak... and by the fact that Senator Feingold's seat was up for election the next year anyway.
(George Petak had broken a promise to vote against a .1% sales tax on Milwaukee County and the five counties bordering it, intended to pay for a new baseball stadium for the Milwaukee Brewers. He favored building the stadium, but the tax was very unpopular in his district. Governor Thompson had not helped popularize the tax among its victims by urging outstate voters to support the plan and "Stick it to 'em!"
(Angry Racinians successfully threw Petak out of office, eagerly helped by a state Democratic party which had been one vote shy of a majority in the state senate. Four years later, it's still a sore point on both sides of the issue.)
To the editor:
In regard to the amateurish political cartoon in your May 15 paper, drawn by a local liberal wannabe cartoonist, it's either a case of convenient amnesia or blatant hypocrisy. He tries to ridicule the hard-working (local) petitioners who are trying to recall Sens. Kohl and Feingold because they support partial-birth abortion. He says they "enjoy divisive recall elections."
He has a mighty short memory. It was the liberals who brought in and paid outsiders to force a divisive recall election to oust George Petak.
Suzanne Dechant Pfeiffer
(Actually, I had drawn cartoons critical of the Recall Petak campaign for claiming that there was no outside help in their campaign.
(Perhaps it's my short memory, but I'm not sure why Suzanne Pfeiffer has such a bug up her butt about me. As a kid, I used to substitute on her son's paper route from time to time. He had better not be expecting any more favors from me, I can tell you that.
(Or maybe she's still holding a grudge from the time I came selling magazine subscriptions as a school band fund-raiser on the first day of spring break one year. Unfortunately, it happened to be Good Friday, and she reacted as if I'd intruded on a family funeral, drunk and in a clown outfit.)
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