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December 19, 2003
Cuts through the hype
I have an enormous amount of respect for cartoonists in politics and political life. They can grasp the core of an issue, make succinct comments on our political discourse, or pull us up short:
Leunig
aah, the oil. Remember the oil? Dictators in the Middle East may come and go. What remains is the oil.
It's the energy that drives the free market prosperity machine. Where would that machine be without the oil?
Oil in the desert sands of the Middle East. It has long been a source of western dreaming, has it not?
Oh, and we are not meant to talk about the black stuff are we. It's too crude and vulgar. Our minds should be on more noble things, such as spreading democracy and free markets through the Middle East, not on the empire of capital.
Posted by Gary Sauer-Thompson at December 19, 2003 08:00 AM
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Comments
Ah...Leunig, I have always loved his artwork and philosophy, and he has made some very astute observations on the issue of Iraq...I think one of my favourites was the one that started "As I was sitting beneath a tree, I feared that it may fall on me, so I chopped it down (preemptively)" ~ I think that is sort of how it goes anyway...
Posted by: PunkClown at December 19, 2003 02:21 PM
I missed Leunig's work during the Iraq war, sad to say.
It is my loss.
It is the cartoons I read first every morning now.
Posted by: Gary Sauer-Thompson at December 20, 2003 06:04 AM
Cartoons are nothing! Wait until you discover the ocean of philosophical wisdom afforded by bumper stickers!
Posted by: tim at December 21, 2003 02:46 AM
Bumper stickers are pretty clever.
Very bonzai.
But I like the visuals. Many cartoons are low grade visuals.
This one by Leunig is not.
It is like the sleek lines design lines of a well built sports car.
Posted by: Gary Sauer-Thompson at December 21, 2003 08:13 PM