They Missed Out on a Visit From the Rock Star
Okay, so I didn’t have any new scripts from our darling Justin (who is still in the process of moving into his new place, getting his internet set up, and handling all the business of starting life up again here in the states)… SO, on the radio they’ve been talking about Obama dissing the troops during his Excellent Adventure overseas, and I came up with this. I was concerned this might be too political since we haven’t done anything seriously offensive yet, but I okayed it with Justin, and he seems to think this is beautiful, so I’m in the clear, hah!
The soldier in the bed there doesn’t have a name, but since I came up with him I found I really like him and want to make a series with him now. I was telling Justin maybe the guy could have an Iron Man suit or something and be a superhero of some kind… heh. I’m reminded of some old Gargoyles cartoons, where there were a couple of characters that intentionally amputated their limbs so they could replace them with cybernetic ones. Gee, that kinda makes me want to go back to school and study bioengineering.
Edit: After that mention of Soldier Angels, now I’m tempted to join the program for making blankets for wounded soldiers. I do own a sewing machine… all I need is to learn how to sew, heh. Details.
Last 10 posts by Sagebrush
- An Alteration in Mission Objectives - November 20th, 2008
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- Statistics: Part 3 - October 25th, 2008
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August 2nd, 2008 at 12:18 am
well, might wanna factcheck that particular statement a bit-
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/593/
or
http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/snubbing_wounded_troops.html
Both groups are considered pretty unbiased..
August 2nd, 2008 at 1:42 am
Hey, thanks for the links. They’ll help explain the situation for those that haven’t heard what happened. Too bad B.O. couldn’t have gone to visit them alone, eh?
I heard a numerologist say that he was in a 4 year, which means he’ll “do a lot of learning.” The next few months should be interesting.
August 2nd, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Fix your GI up with a Voice-Activated Laptop when he gets to Walter Reed. Got a POC with Soldier’s Angels if you’re going to have him stop at Landstuhl, first.
Ummm — Obie was too busy to visit the folks there, too…
August 2nd, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Oh, you mean this: Project Valour IT? That’s a cool program.
August 2nd, 2008 at 11:22 pm
After reading the links I’m not sure the comic is off by all that much.
August 3rd, 2008 at 12:58 am
heh… hehe……bwahahahahaha.
Holy crap, Sage. That was hysterical…..
August 3rd, 2008 at 7:13 am
…. In a very morbid sort of way.
August 3rd, 2008 at 10:01 am
Aaaaaaaaaaaaawe t_t I want to hug him and give him a job as receptionist when I get my business started. >.> I’ll just need to come up with more capital for the voice activated computer program and phone and hummm……. ^_^; I’m over thinking this again, but that would be awesome to set up my business so I could have handicapped employees in predominate and highly public rolls. I hate how the injured are always getting hidden away.
August 3rd, 2008 at 10:39 am
Thanks for the Valour-IT mention Bill.
Sage, you can’t sew? Sorry, but you don’t get off that easily.
Soldiers’ Angels also has instructions for no-sew blankets. They’re made of fleece and you just cut and tie off the ends. Very easy and very nice: http://soldiersangels.org/index.php?page=blankets-of-belief (see instructions under “How You Can Help”).
August 3rd, 2008 at 4:55 pm
Raven and I read the articles completely differently, I guess. From what I can tell, he wanted to be able to take a former military person with him, but not in a campaign capacity, but the Pentagon was saying they weren’t going to see it that way. So he decided against it altogether. Maybe it would have been a better political move to go without his (presumed) friend, but if he had personal reasons for wanting to go with his friend, then of course he’d cancel.
Please note I’m Canadian and do not support any of the candidates for the American presidency
I think the comic would have been funnier without attaching it to a particular candidate, because damn if you wouldn’t expect it from almost any politician!
August 3rd, 2008 at 9:02 pm
FbL - yeah, I knew someone would mention the no sew kit, but I don’t like the idea of doing a “kit.” It seems like a cop out if you actually have any artistic ability. I was supposed to make a curtain like… 2 years ago now, and haven’t done it yet… I swear I will… eventually… I have the fabric and everything… though I already have an idea for an angel patterned quilt for the SA project. I mean I can sort of sew, kind of… I’m just not great at it yet if you like things like straight lines and seams that don’t fall apart. I will get to it, though. My sister keeps beating me up about it. I bet there’s probably already a sewing circle for this around here somewhere since I live in such a big military area.
August 3rd, 2008 at 10:58 pm
>.< I’m having trouble getting other than the home page for Soilder Angels to open. Everytime I click on the links about item donations I get an error page. It’s not fair.
August 3rd, 2008 at 11:14 pm
There seems to be an error on their site, because I’m getting the same thing. Try using the contact page and let them know what’s up, or wait a bit and see if it’s corrected during the week.
August 4th, 2008 at 6:45 am
Ahh…the smell of conversation in the morning…
August 4th, 2008 at 8:52 am
Buzzcomix link is outdated, Sage.
http://www.buzzcomix.net/in.php?id=lawndarts
August 4th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
Yeah, they’re revamping their site, so everything Buzz related may be strange for a while. I updated the link, though, thanks for the tip.
August 4th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
Justin! *glomps* Yay!
August 5th, 2008 at 11:04 am
well it seems to me that the senator is claiming he was never planning on bringing any press or campaign staff. if that’s the case then there should have been no issue when the dod told him that press and campaign staff were not going to be permitted. it also seems like those 2 links just confirm those 2 statements by the 2 parties. so if obama wasn’t planning on bringing any press or campaign staff, and then was told by the dod that he wasn’t going to be permitted to bring them, then what’s the problem?
August 5th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Hey Kids. Excellent artwork.
As for the implication of the comic, that Senator Obama is unconcerned about the wounded soldiers in the hospital, I hope noone is actually believing such a foolish proposition.
This entire comic is fiction. It is inspired by real world anecdotes but their meaning is given to them by the spin the artist chooses to add. Let’s remember that if we were watching live movies of the situations depicted they would be significantly less amusing and significantly less black and white.
Keep it real. ; )
August 5th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
Count me as foolish, then.
I find it amusingly synchronous that there’s currently an ad running at the top of the page that says, “Webfiction Guide: fiction reveals truths reality obscures.”
August 5th, 2008 at 11:27 pm
From what *I* heard he chose NOT to go because he was afraid of the accusations that going TO the hospital would be a political move. And he didn’t want to deal with those political accusations of ‘posing with the injured’ and all that.
August 5th, 2008 at 11:36 pm
Mind I *could* just be talking out my rear port
August 5th, 2008 at 11:40 pm
Considering that you have stated that it’s a fiction that America isn’t really free and that the government is out to get us, the whole “fiction reveals truths reality obscures” thing is hardly comforting. Is it fiction that the U.S. military is filled with thugs who unthinkingly swallow right-wing propaganda talking points? The mind boggles.
August 5th, 2008 at 11:55 pm
le blue dude– If he had the strength of character worthy of being a Commander in Chief, he would have gone alone, under those circumstances. You should change your mind because you learned a new fact or discovered a new way of looking at an issue. You shouldn’t go changing your position every goddamn time someone indicates your action might be taken the wrong way by someone in the peanut gallery. That’s weak political pandering, not leadership.
The Vicar– Wait… what? First off, who are you referring to? Cuz I’m seriously confuzzled. Secondly, let me figure out the logic flow of that sentence:
NOT TRUE [NOT (America is free), government is out to get us]
= America is free, NOT [government is out to get us]
So America is free and the government is not out to get us. Are you saying that’s true or false?
For the record, I have no great love of the government, and I do think parts of it are out to get us. There’s always going to be some little Hitler in the shadows just waiting for an opportunity to rise to power and throw your ass in a furnace somewhere, or maybe just institute communism and take all your individual rights away. Other parts of the government are outright incompetent/negligent. Some of it’s okay. Some of it is actually beneficial. It depends on who is running what department and whether or not they are corrupt, and the extent and nature of that corruption. You can’t really lay out a blanket statement about any group defining it as good or bad. You can only say that an individual’s actions are relatively good or bad in certain scenarios.
Part of my interest in illustrating this comic is to show that the Army is not a bunch of grunt clones in camo playing DOOM all day. The people that make up the Army are all individuals and worthy of respect as such. They come from all different ethnicities, cultures, religions, genders (yes including homosexual), economic and educational backgrounds, and yet somehow they all work together to achieve something.
August 6th, 2008 at 12:50 am
My point is that your comic is perpetrating a false right-wing talking point (the “Obama-didn’t-visit-a-base-so-he-must-be-a-terrist!!!OMGWTFBBQ” thing), and that the “fiction is truthier than reality” comment was disingenuous.
You have suggested that the following two things are fictional (by saying that people who believe them should leave the country): 1) America is not free, and 2) the government is out to get you. If “fiction reveals truths reality obscures” then the implications of your statements are obvious.
In doing these things, you are making it easier to believe the (I hope) fictional idea that the military (and its defenders) are thugs who swallow right-wing propaganda whole.
As for Obama not having strength of character: if McCain had the strength of character to be President, he would admit that Obama was right about troop withdrawals, now that both Bush and McCain have reluctantly had to embrace Obama’s plans. McCain would have to point out, in public, that the military benefits bill Bush credited him recently with was actually something he fought against as hard as he could. He would have to admit that the charge of elitism applies more to him (a multimillionaire who is so pampered that he has admitted he doesn’t even know how to use a computer) than to his opponent (a guy raised on the south side of Chicago who went to college on a scholarship). He’d also have to admit that he was very bad at being a member of the military: he graduated in the bottom 1% of his class at the academy, got a job as a pilot anyway because his father was an admiral, crashed 5 planes and then got captured — this is not the record of a hero, it’s the record of a loser.
August 6th, 2008 at 1:36 am
Okay… what..?
I never put forward anything about Obama being a terrorist. I don’t have a clue where you got a lot of this from. I didn’t say anyone should leave the country. I don’t think I said anything about McCain at all, nor am I about to defend whatever he might have done, because I assume he’s a grown up that can talk for himself. Please don’t put words in my mouth. I think you must be confusing me with someone else, or else please show me where on earth you’re quoting me from, because I have no idea.
The only person I’ve heard say “the military (and its defenders) are thugs who swallow right-wing propaganda whole” is you. If there are others that think this way, that’s too bad, but it’s not my problem. Nothing I do will change their opinion, I’m sure. I’m not going to go find them on their websites and say their opinions are liberal propaganda and start some kind of juvenile flame war.
The only false thing about this comic is Obama writing a letter of apology to the soldiers. The sentiment of resentment and the fact that he bailed out only to save face are true.
If you have a problem with this comic, the best thing you can do is not read it and not tell anyone about it. Maybe it will go away. The more attention you give it, the more money I get in ad revenue.
August 6th, 2008 at 7:08 am
Whoo! You go Sage!
I think what people have to remember - and I mean all the readers, not just the Vicar - is that this is a comic about soldiers, not politics. So this particular comic had a political vibe to it - so what? This is one panel out what I hope will be many many more, and does not in anyway represent what this comic is all about. People who are offended by this page should suspend judgment, because Sage and Justin are not alienating you and insulting your views. In a few more days there will be a new comic page up, and we can move on.
Um… yeah. Okay, my anti-politics rant is done. So, how’ve you all been?
August 6th, 2008 at 8:15 am
“The only false thing about this comic is Obama writing a letter of apology to the soldiers. The sentiment of resentment and the fact that he bailed out only to save face are true.”
well said
August 6th, 2008 at 10:21 am
<.<;; I think there is at least a little confusion with mixing you and Justin up (see his July 4th post).
August 6th, 2008 at 10:53 am
oh and i didn’t realize until reading this that obama’s initials are b.o.
that is how i will be referring to him from here on out
August 6th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
Kunoichi - Thanks, at least I know there’s not someone out there on some little forum claiming to be me or something, spouting weirdness and starting flame wars. I seriously couldn’t figure out where this was coming from.
In reading Justin’s post, I think he was just saying you’re perfectly welcome to leave the US if you don’t approve of it, and go live somewhere that suits you better. He seemed to be upset (gee, I wonder why) that there are/were men out there dying in the name of their country while back at home people are poo-pooing the nation and the military, belittling their sacrifices, seemingly trying to make it so that they died for nothing, which is the ultimate insult.
August 6th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
I suppose I should weigh in on this, since the confusion is growing greater by the second.
Amy is correct. I wouldn’t argue that its the duty of the American people to challenge a corrupt government, but I also solidly believe that those who would rather bitch and whine, instead of actually going out and doing something, would be no great loss if they packed up and left. But, in the end, its their choice.
And as for the entire debate about B.O., I find it all amusing. Amy’s take on that news story has generated some debate, and some might have considered it a bit harsh.
Good.
This won’t be the last time we call it as we see it, or do up some imagery that some may consider…inappropriate.
I consider people blowing people up inappropriate, but that doesn’t stop it from happening everyday.
We are only just beginning, and its going to be a hell of a ride.
August 6th, 2008 at 8:21 pm
“He seemed to be upset (gee, I wonder why) that there are/were men out there dying in the name of their country while back at home people are poo-pooing the nation and the military, belittling their sacrifices, seemingly trying to make it so that they died for nothing, which is the ultimate insult.”
I don’t think the military men and women are at fault just the leaders who send them to their death.
August 7th, 2008 at 7:08 am
And that is exactly why we should support the soldiers, even if we don’t believe they should be fighting.
August 7th, 2008 at 10:30 am
Quote: ~got a job as a pilot anyway because his father was an admiral, crashed 5 planes and then got captured — this is not the record of a hero, it’s the record of a loser.~
For the record, And here’s my bias right now. I am a Christian. I am Republican. I don’t like the political policies of Obama, or McCain.
But… I /respect/ John McCain. When he was captured, after being shot down by a surface to air missile, he refused early release because of his fathers status, despite being repeatedly beaten. That’s not some political stunt. He wasn’t sitting in jail thinking, “Boy. This is gonna look great on my presidential resume.” It’s a sign of real fortitude.
So even though I don’t always agree with the man, I respect him for his honor.
Also, those weren’t just words. Here’s a source. http://www.vietnamwar.com/johnmccainbio.htm
It’s not a hard fact to verify.
August 7th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
Here’s my bias, because it’s fun to confuse people’s world views:
I’m a Libertarian. My voting card is currently stamped Democrat, though I live in a state where I can jump sides whenever I like, which I will for the next election. I’m not a Christian. I’m an unmarried woman who has had many boyfriends if you know what I mean. I’m pro-abortion. I’m pro gay marriage. I’m pro legalizing drugs. I’m for saving the environment and using alternative fuel, etc. I’m an artist and my income is rather pathetic because of that choice.
I’m also a college educated US Army veteran, released from active duty on a medical discharge for a broken hip. I’m pro gun rights and self defense. I’m pro energy (which means using anything we can get our hands on until we have cheap energy again, whether that’s Tesla energy, nuclear, hydrogen, or whatever). I’m against the EPA taking personal property to save an endangered species without properly compensating the property owner at fair market value. I’m against the government putting its nose where it doesn’t belong and throwing all kinds of red tape into education and medical care.
So I’d thank you all to not pigeon-hole me into your preconceived notion of who I am based on a single opinion, because I have a different opinion on every issue. I accept that people disagree with my opinions, and I don’t try to change their minds, and I wish they would accept that I have the right to have an opinion which differs from theirs without belittling my intelligence. As a woman, let me tell you, that’s a sore issue.
If I express an opinion and defend it, it’s because I believe in what I’m saying, not because I’m an unthinking “parrot for right wing propaganda” as The Vicar has been accusing me of. And no, The Vicar, I’ve decided not to approve your last comment, because your blanket insults are annoying, and you’re getting increasingly insane in what you’re writing. I’m sorry if you’ve had bad experiences with military people, but coming here and writing “you military people [insult insult insult]” is hardly constructive.
August 7th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
Well said, Sage.
Now, when are you going to give your GI his laptop?
August 7th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
lol, it’s on order. He has to specify the OS and special features he wants.
August 7th, 2008 at 10:24 pm
Sagebrush, I, um, think I may have a bit of a different opinion of the situation from you here.
The point of both of the websites’ commentary on the issue was that Obama was in a catch-22 situation. If he had refused to visit the soldiers in the hospital, after the scheduled visit, it would have looked like he had only intended to visit as part of the campaign. If he had visited alone, it still would have looked political, as the visit occurred during his campaign tour. Obama has visited hospitalized soldiers before, in a non-campaign setting, and without media in atendance. I think that assuming that the motives for the visit were purely political is pretty uncharitable.
What made this situation complicated was that the McCain campaign used the issue of the cancellation to attack Obama’s image- by implying that the press were the only reason for the visit. This contradicts what the Obama campaign stated about the affair
”
Gibbs, and later Obama himself, then confirmed that it was the Obama campaign and not the Pentagon that decided to scrub the visit. Obama told the press that he had never planned to take reporters inside: “We were treating it the same way we treat a visit to Walter Reed … without any fanfare whatsoever.”
“-http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/snubbing_wounded_troops.html
There’s plenty of things wrong with Obama’s campaign, attitude and policy stances, but I don’t think this case is a good example of one of them.
Full Disclosure: although not a Democrat, I am generally pretty far to the left on things, and will probably be voting for Obama come election time.
I certainly understand if you’d rather not stir things up again by approving my post- from what I saw of The Vicar, he was getting pretty out of line.
August 8th, 2008 at 12:11 am
Thank you Relenz, that is a rational and well thought out argument ^_^ You should pop onto the forum and debate with us <3
August 8th, 2008 at 12:49 am
Yes, I was going to say what Pandra said, but I had to take my dog out for his walk. ^_^
I don’t mind anyone having a different viewpoint. If we all thought exactly the same, things would be pretty boring and there would really be no point in living. I mean, caatabatic is a total socialist, but we’re still good friends and hang out together, because deep down I don’t really care what his political views are, and he doesn’t try to change what I think. He says his piece, and I say mine, and we both say, “Hmmn, that’s interesting,” and then we talk about something else, like dream interpretation or how to fix my computer.
I’m just not going to allow trolling anywhere where I’m the one paying for hosting. If anyone wants to curse me out, please do it on your own webspace. I’m not going to deny your freedom of speech, but I don’t have to give you a free platform to verbally piss on my work or on my friends, either.
Everyone is welcome to talk about anything they want in the forum, just act like a normal, sane person, not like you’re suffering from rabies or something.
August 8th, 2008 at 8:21 am
Dude, Caat totally has fleas though.
August 8th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
Hah hah hah- no wait; don’t make fun of him. I still need him to install my power source.August 8th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
t_t ok but can I make fun of him after that?
August 8th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Sure thing.
August 8th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
fleas? WTF?
btw: Relenz
Its nice to see some one put forth intelligent discussion like yours. no name calling no silly crap, only facts, and reasonable debate.
I kinda sway towards your theory, But I always invite all sides of the table to put forth a reasonable contribution to a debate. If we all agree, what’s the fun in that?
August 8th, 2008 at 9:55 pm
Sagebrush, comic artist, you are a breath of fresh air. I’m all for discussion and civil debate, but I tire of the old “Monty-Python Argument Clinic”-style “debates” that I frequently hear, all of which eventually degenerate into trades of ad hominem attacks. (Great skit, by the way. Get your hands on a script or a video sometime.)
I greatly, greatly respect the fact that you didn’t respond to such an attack by The Vicar in kind. And although I have a slightly different worldview from yours, I love your “discuss and let live” approach. And truthfully, just the fact alone that you admit that it’s OKAY for people to have different beliefs, and that doesn’t automatically make them sheeple or mentally deficient (at best) is refreshing.
That goes for everyone else here too who expressed similar thoughts, too, it’s just that Sage is a convenient target.
Oh, yeah, and my husband and I <3 your comic. He plans on printing some of them and putting them on his office door at the Reserve center. You rock.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
The same offer stands that I mentioned to Pandra — if the jpg files on the site aren’t sufficient (I haven’t tried printing them, so I dunno how they look printed out), if you email me and ask for specific ones, I have higher res files I can give people in any format.
August 8th, 2008 at 11:24 pm
I love it when a plan comes together…
August 9th, 2008 at 11:44 am
Check out snopes.com if you want the truth about the rumor Obama ignored the troops. The person who said that wasn’t even there, and the truth is very different than what’s been going around. http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/afghanistan.asp
August 10th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
Oh I love the Angel you did for the Blankets of hope the Blankets of Belief and the Wrapped in Holiday Spirit. I am so excited about it! Thank you so much! I do want to send you the directions for no sew blankets-I can’t sew but I can tie!
SOLDIERS’ ANGELS SEWING TEAM
Directions for No-sew Fleece Blankets
SUPPLIES: - Good pair of scissors
- Tape measure or ruler
- Two 2-yard lengths of coordinating fleece
- 4”x4” cardboard template with 1” intervals marked on opposite edges
DIRECTIONS: Please read before starting your blanket. Each step is important.
- Lay out fleece wrong sides together (if “wrong” sides are evident)
- Match up edges
- Pin sides together to keep them in place while you knot
- Cut off rough edges
- Cut a 4”x4” square out of each corner
- Using the template, make 4” deep cuts at 1” intervals around all 4 sides
- Starting in one corner, tie overhand knots close to blanket edge – use one strip from top fleece and one from bottom fleece. Make sure your knot is tight.
- Knot EVERY OTHER pair of strips until you are all around the blanket one time
- Turn blanket over and knot the same way until you have tied all your knots
HINTS: - Use your template as a guide to keep cuts even and equally deep
- Keep your knot tie tension steady while tying your knots so you don’t over-stretch your fleece
- Snug knots will hold well through washing/drying
- HAVE FUN!
THANK YOU!
SOLDIERS’ ANGELS SEWING TEAM
http://www.soldiersangels.org
August 13th, 2008 at 8:38 pm
[...] Kortnee e-mailed me two links to some great comics. There was this one, that was [...]
October 9th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
If you like to sew- another project that needs volunteers is “Sew Much Comfort” These volunteers make some really important retrofitted clothing (like basketball shorts with velcro down the side)
Medical equipment (like halos or external fixators) often prevents a wounded warrior from being able to put regular clothing on. Getting these guys and gals out of those demoralizing hospital gowns is one of the biggest boosts to their self esteem you could give. The sewing is not easy, it’s a little technical and must be done a certain way- but once you get the hang of it- it’s one of the most valuable things you could put your effort to. http://www.sewmuchcomfort.org/