Cartoon brouhaha totally overblown

I wonder if your staff realized the irony of running a front page, above-the-fold article about two Snohomish city councilmen in trouble over a cartoon on the same day as, buried on page A4, an article concerning Osama bin Laden’s renewed fury over the infamous Danish cartoon from two years ago.

While nobody is suggesting that we send Messrs. Thorndike and Johnson to the gallows for the crime of having a different sense of humor than some, the similarities are striking. What we have are two cartoons that poke fun at an ethnic stereotype that did not cause harm in any way. But because we have this kindergarten mentality that says that nobody should be the butt of jokes and we should all hold hands and sing “Kumbaya,” these men are vilified on the front page of the newspaper.

I challenge all who were offended by this innocent attempt at humor to find one person who it has harmed. Has it influenced any policy decisions from Messrs. Thorndike and Johnson? Absolutely not. Has any immigrant been denied a visa or housing or benefits because of it? Come on. But I do personally know illegal immigrants who have been given free health care because they did not have insurance, just like the cartoon states.

I cannot vouch for Mr. Thorndike, but I have known Mr. Johnson for almost a decade. He is a decent man and did not deserve to be thrown to the wolves like this. Perhaps if we all knew how he, Salman Rushdie and Don Imus feel, we wouldn’t be so forthcoming with our rage.

Scott Mortland